Spain launched Monday a diplomatic push into Africa, marking out the continent as a political priority with an ambitious plan to build closer economic and institutional ties.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he wanted to “turn this decade … into the decade of Spain in Africa.”
Sánchez unveiled his “Africa Focus 2023” plan at an event in Madrid, attended by Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, the foreign ministers of Ghana and Senegal, Kenya’s head of trade, and the president of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina.
Spain had few colonial possessions in Africa compared with some other European countries, but Sánchez noted that the continent lies just a couple of dozen kilometers away from the southern Spanish coast.
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He described Spain as “Europe’s southern gateway” for Africa.
#FocusAfrica2023 will also address Spain’s strategic action for and with Africa, in response to the impact of COVID-19 on the continent and in support of the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
