Addis Ababa, November 24, 2025 (FMC) — African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf has underlined that Africa contributes not only its vast resources but also demographic dynamism and a growing base of innovators to the AU–EU partnership, speaking at the AU–EU Business Forum held this morning on the margins of the 7th AU–EU Summit in Luanda.
Chairperson Youssouf joined European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Angola’s Minister of Economic Coordination José Lima Massano at the Forum, where he highlighted the continent’s technological ambition and the vitality of its young innovators as central assets in strengthening cooperation with Europe.
He noted that Europe, for its part, offers capital, technology, and institutional cooperation. Aligning these complementary strengths around shared priorities such as digital transformation and youth empowerment, he said, would help advance joint continental objectives.
The Chairperson concluded by emphasizing the need for scaled, predictable, and equitable financing to fully unlock the partnership’s potential.
The AU–EU Business Forum opened as leaders convened in Luanda for the 7th AU–EU Summit, which runs from 24–25 November and marks 25 years since the formal establishment of the partnership at the inaugural summit in Cairo in 2000.
Held under the theme “Promoting Peace and Prosperity through Effective Multilateralism,” the Summit is focusing on peace and security, prosperity and investment, human development and mobility, and planetary sustainability.
Pre-summit engagements—including the AU–EU Youth and Civil Society Forum on 20–21 November—have brought together stakeholders to feed recommendations into the high-level meetings. The Business Forum is gathering African and European private-sector actors to explore investment opportunities and strengthen economic ties.