The scope of the project covers EU-Africa relations and the situation in the member states concerning the issues connected with EU External Economic Relations, as well as related policies at the EU and country levels. In the course of development of modern countries and regions, knowledge, skill, innovation and creativity have been gradually gaining the position of being the most distinctive and individual resources.
This transformation has caused a change in the paradigm of thinking about the competitiveness of regions and has forced it to move towards close relations with knowledge and intellectual capital in enterprises (see Smart Specialisation Strategy). The rise of a “smart”, connected Africa is allowing countries across the continent to leapfrog several stages of development in key areas, such as banking and telecommunications, and is reshaping business and society. Despite this, growth in several African countries has slowed in recent years after more than a decade of solid expansion.
Rickety infrastructure, shortages of skills, weak governance and a reliance on commodities continue to plague the continent, underscoring the need for economic diversification for sustained, inclusive growth in areas such as agriculture, manufacturing, health care, education and banking. Agenda 2063 is the African Union’s blueprint for a future based on inclusive growth and sustainable development. It calls for an integrated Africa guided by Pan-African ideals: an Africa shaped by good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and rule of law; a peaceful and secure Africa; an Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, shared values and ethics; an Africa whose development is people-driven with a key role for women and youth; a strong, united Africa that can be an influential global player.
Smart Specialisation underlines the importance of the preparation process which occurs at the regional/country level of research and innovation strategies. The African partner countries face the challenge of diversifying their economies and tackling capacity and infrastructure constraints. The EU, in turn, will need to translate its vague promise to support both trade and development in Africa into clear and effective support measures. Both aspects are essential in facilitating mutually beneficial trade liberalisation and confronting potential adverse effects.
The proposed AFROEU project will be a coherent and comprehensive three-year initiative of interconnected and interdependent Jean Monnet specific activities: 1. teaching activities (two updated courses directly corresponding to the project’s scope) offered to students at the Warsaw School of Economics as a core element of the project, around which all other specific activities are designed; nowe przedmioty to: EU- Sub-Saharan Africa Economic Partnership- Redefined EU-Sub-Saharan Africa relations: an interdisciplinary perspective 2. research carried out throughout the entire project, in alignment with other planned activities in order to ensure their up-to-date scientific accuracy and consistency; 3. events (three roundtable debates and one conference fulfilling both the scientific and promotional goals, as well as degree seminars for SGH students proposed in an innovative, more attractive and more effective workshop-based formula).