Hundreds of delegates from around Africa and Europe are convening in Kigali for the second African Union-European Union Ministerial Meeting with a view to review progress made between principal summits between the two continents.

The meeting, according to both sides, also serves as an opportunity to further advance cooperation in strategic areas between the African Union (AU) and European Union (EU).

The gathering had initially been scheduled for May last year but organisers were forced to postpone it due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Understandably, the virus is one of the main items on the agenda at the Kigali talks, along with other pressing areas of mutual interest such as investment in digital and green transitions, peace, security and global governance, migration and mobility, as well as  education, science, technology and skills development.

Now, Africa and Europe share a deep history of interaction and co-operation in different areas of human endeavour. Unfortunately, this relationship has generally been unequal and in most cases undermined by the dark history of colonialism, with Europe’s attitude often reflecting lingering colonial hangover and racist undertones both in policy and action.

Yet, history has shown that both sides need to work with the other to continue making progress in different areas. This reality has never been more apparent than during the Covid era, the pandemic having exposed mutual vulnerabilities given the high levels of interconnectedness and interdependence between Africa and Europe.

Most importantly, AU and EU – and indeed the rest of the world – need to work together today more than ever to address pertinent global challenges, such as climate change, terrorism, public health, digital gaps, among others.

However, for any partnership to be meaningful and sustainable, there is a need to ensure that collaborations are founded on the principles of mutual respect and equality as well as recognition of one another’s sovereignty and independence. Indeed, any relationship laced with condescension and patronising attitude would not only fuel mistrust and fail to lead to the desired outcome but any attempt to impose either side’s values on the other would result in damaging repercussions.