A Platform for Dialogue and Knowledge Exchange

On June 23 and 24, 2026, the Protestant University of Rwanda (PUR) hosted the second module of its seminar series on EU Integration and Africa Cooperation. Organized in partnership with the European Union through the Jean Monnet Network, the event convened students, researchers, academics, policymakers, and development practitioners for two days of substantive discussion on the evolving relationship between Africa and Europe. Participants joined both in person and via Zoom, reflecting the seminar's broad reach and relevance.

Opening Remarks       

The seminar was officially opened by Professor Olu Ojedekun, Vice Chancellor of the Protestant University of Rwanda, who extended a warm welcome to all participants, both those present on campus and those joining online. In his address, he described PUR as a home of innovation and encouraged attendees to engage fully with the ideas and discussions to follow.

Regional Integration in a Globalized Context

The first keynote presentation was delivered by Professor Jean Marc Trouille, who examined regional integration as a phenomenon driven by globalization. He explained that integration is essential for building markets of sufficient scale and that it unfolds at varying speeds across different regions of the world.

Professor Trouille outlined the core components of integration, namely the free movement of goods, services, labour, and capital, and discussed both top down and bottom up approaches at continental and regional levels. He highlighted practical priorities for Africa, including the need for coordinated management of airspace and the advancement of the Single African Air Transport Market as a means of boosting intra African connectivity.

He also addressed the structural challenges facing the continent, including poverty and the enduring effects of colonial era economic models, while noting Africa's institutional strengths, particularly the legal and governance frameworks inherited through British colonial administration. He emphasized the importance of decisive leadership and the continued strengthening of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

During the question and answer session, one participant asked how young people, given the scale of poverty on the continent, could meaningfully contribute to its eradication. Professor Trouille responded by pointing to the range of initiatives and platforms already available to young people, encouraging greater awareness and engagement with these opportunities.

EU Social Policy and Its Relevance to EAC Integration

Professor Olu Ojedekun then delivered a presentation titled EU Social Policies and EAC Integration. He explained that EU social policy is designed to promote employment, improve living and working conditions, address social exclusion, and ensure equal opportunity across member states. Although social policy remains largely a national competence, the EU sets common labour and social standards and coordinates efforts toward social convergence.

This work is guided by the European Pillar of Social Rights, a framework built on twenty principles organized around three main areas: equal opportunity and labour market access, fair working conditions, and social protection and inclusion.

He described several mechanisms through which these principles are implemented, including the European Social Fund Plus, which allocates significant financial resources toward employment and poverty reduction, and revised social security coordination rules that support workers moving between member states. He also referenced the EU's 2030 targets, which include raising employment among people aged 20 to 64 to at least 78 percent, achieving 60 percent participation in annual training, and reducing the number of people at risk of poverty by at least 15 million.

Professor Ojedekun then compared the EU and the EAC, noting that the European Union has developed into a highly integrated political and economic union with free movement of goods, services, capital, and people, while the East African Community continues to work toward monetary and political union. He reviewed the recognized stages of economic integration, from preferential trading areas to complete economic integration, and outlined the four principal forms of integration: free trade areas, customs unions, common markets, and economic unions.

He concluded this segment with an overview of the African Continental Free Trade Area, describing its role in creating a unified continental market across 55 African Union member states through the elimination of tariffs and reduction of non-tariff barriers, with the aim of accelerating industrialization and reducing poverty across the continent.

Policing and Justice: Comparative Lessons for Rwanda

The first day concluded with a presentation on Policing and Justice in the European Union: Lessons for Rwanda and Implications for EAC Integration. The session examined the background of EU justice and home affairs cooperation, assessed the strengths and limitations of the European model, and considered its relevance to policing and justice structures in Rwanda.

Following an engaged question and answer session, participants took part in group work exercises, with students, lecturers, and researchers collaborating on assigned topics before presenting their findings to close the first day.

Day Two: Decentralized Cooperation and the Question of Sovereignty

The second day opened with a presentation by Ruhumuriza Anselme titled EU Africa Cooperation: Decentralized Cooperation, Sovereignty, and Aid Conditionality. He began by outlining the significance of the EU Africa relationship, noting that the European Union remains Africa's largest trading partner, with annual trade exceeding 400 billion euros, and that the partnership extends across migration governance, security, climate action, education, and trade.

Institutional Foundations of the European Union and the African Union

Anselme traced the institutional development of the European Union, from its founding by six member states, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, to its current membership of 27 states following the United Kingdom's withdrawal. He described the EU as reflecting both functionalist and neofunctionalist principles, as well as elements of supranationalism and intergovernmentalism.

He then examined the history of African unity, beginning with the First Congress of Independent African States held in Accra, Ghana, from 15 to 22 April 1958, and the subsequent formation of the Organization of African Unity on 25 May 1963. He described the significant debate at the time between advocates of immediate unification and those favouring a gradual approach, a division that gave rise to three distinct groupings: the Casablanca Group, the Monrovia Group, and the Brazzaville Group, each representing a different vision for the continent's future.

The Cotonou Agreement and Its Legacy

Anselme also discussed the Cotonou Agreement, a partnership spanning 2000 to 2020 between the European Union and 76 African, Caribbean, and Pacific states. He outlined its objectives, which included promoting economic, cultural, and social development, contributing to peace and security, and reducing poverty in line with sustainable development goals. The agreement rested on three pillars: development cooperation, political cooperation, and economic and trade cooperation.

Examining the Trade Relationship

Participants viewed a short documentary titled "25 Years of Cooperation Between the European and African Union: An Equal Partnership?" LINK which prompted further discussion on the practical outcomes of the partnership. Anselme explained that EU support for EAC integration is delivered primarily through National Indicative Programs and state to state partnerships, funded through the 10th and 11th European Development Funds, and covering the COMESA, IGAD, and Indian Ocean Commission regions.

He presented trade data showing that Africa's exports to the EU totalled approximately 225 billion euros in 2023, while imports from the EU reached 260 billion euros, resulting in a trade deficit of approximately 35 billion euros. He noted that Africa's main exports to the EU remain largely unprocessed goods, including minerals such as gold, cobalt, and copper, alongside agricultural products and textiles, while imports from the EU consist mainly of machinery, pharmaceuticals, vehicles, and technology.

He pointed to an emerging trend in which countries such as Rwanda and Kenya are increasingly shifting toward value added exports, including processed coffee, tea, and ICT services, as a means of improving productivity and strengthening trade sovereignty.

Reflections on Unity and Perception

The closing question and answer session generated considerable discussion. One participant questioned whether genuine African unity was achievable given the continent's continued reliance on external funding for initiatives such as African Union conferences. Panellists responded that numerous African led initiatives are underway and that unity remains an attainable goal.

Another participant raised concerns regarding ongoing conflict and famine in parts of the continent. In response, panellists observed that international media coverage often emphasizes hardship while giving insufficient attention to Africa's considerable progress in innovation and technology.

Looking Ahead

The seminar concluded with an announcement by the organizing committee that participants would be expected to develop written papers on the themes discussed during the two days. The strongest submissions will be presented during the final session of the module, scheduled for early 2027.

The seminar reaffirmed the Protestant University of Rwanda's commitment to fostering informed dialogue on Africa Europe relations and to equipping the next generation of scholars and practitioners with the knowledge needed to shape the continent's future engagement with global partners.

Written by Moise IRADUKUNDA, Student at the Protestant University of Rwanda