President Paul Kagame has arrived in Belgium where he is attending the African Union-European Union Summit, taking place on February 17 and 18. The summit is bringing together leaders of both institutions as well as representatives of their respective member states to discuss how both continents can build greater prosperity. The discussions will be attended by Heads of State and external guests who are experts in their respective fields. These roundtable discussions will revolve around different topics including peace, security and good governance, health systems and vaccine production, growth financing, agriculture, and sustainable development. Other areas to be discussed, according to a statement from the Office of the President, include private sector support and economic integration, education, culture and vocational training, migration and mobility, agriculture, climate change and energy transition, connectivity, and infrastructure. Meanwhile, on the margins of the summit, President Kagame is expected to meet with King Philippe Léopold Louis Marie of Belgium, according to a statement. Some of the intended outcomes of the summit include the launch of an Africa-Europe Investment Package which takes into account current global challenges and a joint declaration on a joint vision for 2030. In December 2021, Kagame was in Belgium for a preparatory meeting of this Summit where he joined the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, the former AU Chairperson, President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi, and Chairperson of AU commission Moussa Faki Mahamat. Previous to that, AU-EU ministerial meeting took place in Kigali, in October 2021, for its second edition, where 68 foreign ministers convened to among others mull ways of cementing Africa’s and European partnerships.
