Yaoundé Conventions 60 years on: Africa-EU Relations Now
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
MODERATORS:
Randall Halle, University of Pittsburgh Catherine Koverola, University of Pittsburgh
PANELISTS:
- Michael Odijie, University College London
- Pernille Røge, University of Pittsburgh
- Mounir Saidani, Editor-in-Chief of Omran Social Sciences/Arabb Center for Research and Political Studies-Doha.
- Abdou Seck, Gaston Berger University/Groupe D’Action et D’Etude Critique Africa (GAEC)
It is 60 years since the signing of the Yaoundé Convention (1963).This was a moment in the history of decolonization when the Associated African States, 12 mainly young postcolonial Western Africa countries, signed a trade agreement with the also young European Economic Community. The Yaoundé Convention was part of the EEC’s Eurafrica initiative, an effort to maintain a presence in the former colonies. Yaoundé initiated a series of trade and aid agreements that replaced the colonial relation with a developmental model. An era of trade and infrastructural development followed. However, many critics have suggested that this strategy of aid set off the pattern of uneven and unequal development. This Conversation on Europe and Africa takes this event as an opportunity to consider development aid in Africa historically and in its contemporary form. Our panelists bring a mix of historical and regional knowledge to the conversation
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