Analytical Studies
G7 Summits • 2019 Biarritz Summit

Biarritz Declaration for a G7 & Africa Partnership

Biarritz, France, August 26, 2019
[PDF in English] [PDF en français]

1. We, the Leaders of the G7, Egypt (current chair of the African Union), Rwanda (former chair of the AU), South Africa (future chair of the AU), Senegal (chair of NEPAD), Burkina Faso (chair of the G5 Sahel), and the African Union Commission Chairperson, have gathered in Biarritz on 25 August 2019, together with the United Nations Secretary-General, the International Monetary Fund Managing Director, the World Bank Group President and the African Development Bank President, to review the international situation and recent developments in Africa.

2. Regarding peace and security in Africa, we in particular discussed issues such as the situation in Libya, the Sahel region, the Lake Chad Basin, the Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa. We welcome the G7 Sahel Action Plan, as well as the decision of Canada and Japan to join the Sahel Alliance in the capacity of observers.

3. We reiterate the importance of a reinvigorated G7 & Africa Partnership in order to address the main challenges of the African continent, including eradicating poverty, ensuring full realization of the right to education, providing good quality health care and increasing access to clean water.

4. We are convinced that fighting inequality, strengthening governance and promoting inclusive sustainable economic growth, in the framework of a prosperous global economy, and social development are key elements of stability and peace, and are fundamental to ensuring a shared and prosperous future for our citizens. We therefore reiterate our firm commitment to a partnership of equals, based on common goals and aimed at supporting Africa's priorities. We underline the importance of the launch of the operationalization phase of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement at the African Union Extraordinary Summit held in Niamey on 7 July 2019. We reiterate our willingness to continue to develop entrepreneurship and private sector youth employment in Africa through multilateral initiatives, such as the G20 Compact with Africa and other bilateral initiatives supported by individual G7 members.

5. We are determined to work together to address global challenges, in line with Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda and taking into account the African Union Agenda 2063. The active involvement of African stakeholders in the preparatory work, engagement groups and ministerial meetings leading up to the Biarritz Summit reflects this shared ambition.

6. Building on these joint efforts, we have decided to work together with international and regional organizations and with the private sector, in three areas:

Promoting women's entrepreneurship in Africa

7. We call for reforms to address the social, legal and regulatory barriers to women's full and free economic participation and empowerment. We support the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative including through the Women Entrepreneurs-Finance Initiative (We-Fi). We also further encourage the 2X Challenge and bilateral programmes supported by G7 members.

Digital transformation in Africa

8. We commit to providing strong support to bridge the digital divide and promote digital transformation in Africa, in line with our national commitments. We note in that respect the recommendations from the EU-African Union Digital Economy Task Force and the Digital Economy Moonshot for Africa and Smart Africa initiatives. We also call on all actors to take specific action to ensure that the digital transformation benefits all, including in the most fragile regions.

Transparency in public procurement and the common fight against corruption

9. We support enhancing public procurement transparency and standards, in order to improve the business and investment climate, transparency, accountability and debt sustainability through the constructive involvement of governments, businesses and civil society organizations, thus contributing to the fight against corruption.

10. We also look forward to the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) to be held immediately after the Biarritz Summit.

Source: Official website of the French G7 Presidency

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	Please send comments to: g7@utoronto.ca This page was last updated August 28, 2019.