By Gloria Ikibah
African and European business leaders have set out a renewed commitment to deepen investment ties, strengthen value chains and promote shared prosperity under the European Union Global Gateway initiative.
The pledge is contained in a Joint Business Declaration unveiled on 24 November at the AU–EU Business Forum 2025 in Luanda, ahead of the seventh Heads of State Summit. 
The Forum coincides with 25 years of AU–EU partnership and Angola’s 50th anniversary of independence, with the theme ‘Promoting peace and prosperity through effective multilateralism’, the summit is co-chaired by Angolan President João Lourenço and President of the European Council António Costa, with the European Commission represented by Ursula von der Leyen and the African Union by H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.
The declaration highlights the importance of aligning with the EU’s Global Gateway and Africa’s Agenda 2063, noting that nearly €80 billion has been mobilised since 2021 through the Africa–Europe Investment Package for renewable energy, health, transport, agribusiness, research, education and digital initiatives.
Co-chair of the Business Declaration Committee and President of the Africa Business Council, Dr Amany Asfour, emphasised the need for more balanced cooperation.
“We need equal win-win partnerships that empowers our African Private Sector including SMEs, women and youth and focusing on investment that is geared towards value addition, job creation and sharing of know-how,” she said.
Business organisations emphasised that unlocking the full potential of EU investment and closing Africa’s infrastructure gap will require practical, business-driven solutions.
The declaration calls for structured and inclusive mechanisms enabling companies from both continents to jointly design, finance and implement major trade and investment projects aligned with the African Continental Free Trade Area and Agenda 2063.
Financing remains central to the strategy. The document states that the Global Gateway Investment Hub should simplify access to EU financial instruments—such as blended finance, guarantees, venture capital and reimbursable grants—particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. It urges a unified and transparent system to ensure that priority projects receive timely and effective support.
Africa’s industrialisation and the transformation of raw materials feature prominently in the business leaders’ demands. Benoît Chervalier, President of the Africa Committee of BusinessEurope and co-chair of the declaration, stated: “This process should be undertaken in a pragmatic, flexible and agile manner which would help to integrate African and European businesses into regional and global value chains.”
The declaration also calls for joint efforts to improve the business climate, strengthen workforce capacity, expand sustainable infrastructure and boost digital connectivity. Both continents, it notes, recognise that sustainable investment must generate local value, industrial growth and decent employment.
