He announced this on Tuesday when he held a joint press conference with Sebastian Kurz, Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, AU Commission chairman, Moussa Faki Mahamat, and Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament.
President Kagame who is also Chairman of the African Union said the development of the two continents will be achieved in collaboration with the private sector.
He said that for the co-operation to be strong, it will require that each side reforms itself and make some corrections.
“There are some reforms that should be undertaken on our part, but it should also go in line with the side of those working with Africa or those Africa works with. Africa has a wealthy contribution to its integration with Europe and contributes to the benefit of everyone,” he said.
He further said that Europe is also required to change the relationship with Africa.
” Europeans should view Africans as partners and not beneficiaries of their generosity. People of Africa have to be able to look after themselves and look at what is required to meet global demands and the expectations of our people,” he said.
He highlighted that on the African side, many reforms have been underway including the reform of the African Union Commission, the signing of the Continental Free Trade Area and the re-launch of the Peace Fund mark a turning point in the continent’s ability to relate effectively to its partners, among others.
When he opened the forum, President Kagame explained that Africa should not continue being considered a continent of problems.
He said Africa wishes to promote technology and the private sector to generate work for young people, emphasizing that it is a challenging, yet possible journey.
“Partnership would be more rewarding than doing things as usual. For a long time, Africa has been the source of opportunities, not challenges. All potential constraints can be addressed collaboration,” he noted.
President Kagame also talked about the problem of migrants who have been drowning in the sea for a better life in Europe.
He said that if both sides discussed the matter, they would be able to remedy it and prevent it from delaying other cooperation programs.
The Chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz, said he believes this forum contributes to the strong partnership based on bilateral benefits between Africa and Europe.
“It also has an impact on the strong economic cooperation between our continents,” he noted.
Africa – Europe High-Level Forum has in attendance leaders of the two continental blocs, the African Union, AU, and the European Union, EU.
In 2017, Europe exported to Africa commodities worth140 billion euros and imported goods worth 131 billion euros.
Among the commodities exported to Africa, 70% were manufactured, while over 60% of Africa’s exports to Europe was comprised of food commodities, beverages and other crude products.
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