Ambassador Eniola Ajayi urges a new approach to the Dutch Africa Strategy, calling for equal partnership and African inclusion in future policy design
Keynote Address by Ambassador Dr. Eniola Ajayi at a Business Dialogue on Africa organised by the Voice News Magazine based in the Kingdom of Netherlands which took place at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on Friday, November 28, 2025
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Title: Shaping Intercontinental Business Between Africa and Europe
Theme: Debunking Notions, Reshaping Mindsets in Doing Business in Africa
Opening & Acknowledgements
Your Excellencies,
Esteemed colleagues,
Leaders of industry, government, and diplomacy, Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, Good morning.
It is an honour and privilege to stand before you today to discuss a subject that sits at the very heart of our shared future – Shaping Intercontinental Business Between Africa and Europe.
Allow me to appreciate the organisers of this dialogue, The Voice Africa News Magazine, from the Netherlands for framing such a profound theme – “Debunking Notions, Reshaping Mindsets in Doing Business in Africa.”
It is indeed time to move beyond the old narratives – those outdated perceptions of Africa as a continent defined by aid, rather than by opportunity; by potential, rather than by performance.
Africa is not waiting to be discovered. Africa is open for business – on equal terms.
Setting the Context: A Moment of Transformation
We are gathered at an auspicious moment in history. The tipping point if you like.
The tectonic plates of global trade, energy, and geopolitics are shifting.
The COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath have redrawn global value chains and revealed the vulnerabilities in our different nations – big or small.
The war in Ukraine has reshaped energy and food security priorities.
And across Africa, a young, dynamic, and connected generation is rewriting the script of our economic destiny.
Africa today is not merely a supplier of raw materials – it is a continent of creators, innovators, intellectuals and entrepreneurs who are building the industries of tomorrow.
From Lagos to Kigali, Nairobi to Accra, African startups are redefining fintech, healthtech, agritech, and clean energy solutions that speak not only to local realities but to global challenges.
The Dutch Africa Strategy – A Case Study of Intention and Opportunity
When the Dutch Africa Strategy (2023–2032) was launched in The Hague in May 2023, I had the privilege of being among the Ambassadors representing African nations.
It was a moment of recognition – that Africa’s growth and Europe’s prosperity are deeply intertwined. Our proximity to each other makes our collaboration inevitable.
The Dutch strategy articulates noble intentions. It speaks of mutual trust, equality in partnership, and shared prosperity.
It acknowledges that Africa’s development is no longer a matter of charity, but of mutual interest – in trade, security, climate resilience, and sustainable growth.
It represents an important shift: a recognition that doing business with Africa is not about aid, but about partnership; not about dependency, but about interdependence. We need each other to thrive and survive.
A Missing Element – The African Voice
However, while the Dutch Africa Strategy was commendable in vision, it also revealed a familiar pattern.
It was a strategy for Africa, but not with Africa.
African nations were not consulted in its drafting; we were presented with the finished document – a plan about our continent, developed without our direct input.
And therein lies a paradox that we must address, if we are to reshape intercontinental business:
How can we speak of equality and mutual trust when the voices of one side are absent from the design table?
True partnership cannot be built on monologue – it must be dialogue.
Africa does not seek to be a passive recipient of strategies. We seek to be co-authors of them.
We want to sit at the table not as guests, but as equals – bringing our own priorities, insights, and aspirations to the discussion.
Debunking Notions – A New Mindset for Both Sides
Ladies and gentlemen,
If this decade is to be one of genuine transformation, we must begin by *debunking old notions* – on both sides of the partnership.
For too long, Africa has been seen primarily as a source of raw materials – a continent that extracts but does not refine; that exports value but imports finished products; that fuels global industry while its own citizens remain on the margins of prosperity.
That narrative must end. Our survival depends on this.
Africa is finally waking up to the reality that our vast natural resources – from minerals to agriculture, from oil and gas to our boundless human capital – must no longer be shipped out in raw form.
We have realized that value addition must happen on African soil, by African hands, through African innovation – in partnership, yes, but with equity and ownership.
When Africa processes its cocoa, it creates jobs. We can make chocolate bars too! It is not rocket science.
When Africa refines its lithium, it powers its own industries.
When Africa manufactures its pharmaceuticals, it safeguards its own health.
This is not protectionism – it is self-empowerment. It is self preservation. It is economic justice.
Reshaping the European Mindset
At the same time, our European partners must also evolve their perspective.
Partnership with Africa should not be viewed through the lens of risk, but of reward.
The narrative of instability and fragility must give way to one of resilience and opportunity. It should call a spade – a spade. Yes, there are issues of insecurity, what we need is help, not escalation.
The Africa of today is governed by regional economic communities that are harmonising trade rules.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is creating the largest single market in the world by number of countries – a market of 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of over three trillion dollars.
This is not a continent to be pitied. It is a continent to be partnered with – on equal footing.
The mean age of the African population is 19.2 years (due to factors that we hope will improve over time) but the benefit is that we have a virile, versatile, educated and youthful workforce.
The business mindset must therefore shift from extractive transactions to transformative investments;
from short-term profit to long-term partnership;
from seeing Africa as a *testing ground to seeing Africa as a growth engine.
Europe and Africa – Partners in Transition
Both continents are undergoing profound transitions.
Europe is reindustrialising and greening its economy – moving towards clean energy, circular production, and digital transformation.
Africa is urbanising rapidly, digitising its economies, and investing in renewable energy and youth innovation.
Our transitions can and must be aligned.
Africa holds 60% of the world’s renewable energy potential.
Europe holds decades of industrial and technological expertise.
Together, we can build a new paradigm of co-created growth – that is green, inclusive, and mutually beneficial.
Migration – A Bridge, Not a Barrier
But there is another crucial aspect of our intercontinental relationship that requires a new mindset: migration.
Too often, migration has been portrayed as a crisis to be managed rather than a force to be harnessed. Yet, when well-governed, migration is not a problem – it is an opportunity.
We must tackle the issue of migration between Africa and Europe in a way that is mutually beneficial to both continents.
Africa’s youthful population is an asset; Europe’s aging workforce presents a challenge.
A fair, regulated, and humane framework for mobility that can serve both needs.
There should be regular pathways for legal migration – pathways that attract the people and skills needed in European countries seeking to shore up their workforce, while ensuring that migration remains dignified, orderly, and mutually enriching and not exploitative.
When talent circulates, innovation follows. When movement is managed, both continents prosper.
We must therefore move from a defensive approach to migration to a developmental approach – one that sees people as bridges, not as burdens.
A New Business Compact – Built on Trust and Equality
To shape truly intercontinental business between Africa and Europe, we must anchor our cooperation on five key principles:
1. Co-creation, not prescription
Policies affecting Africa should be designed with African stakeholders at the table.
When strategies such as the Dutch Africa Plan are revisited or implemented, they should incorporate the perspectives of African governments, private sectors, and youth voices.
Ownership begins with participation.
2. Value addition within Africa
European investors must continue to partner in setting up industries in Africa – not just to extract raw materials but to manufacture, process, and innovate locally.
The success story of Friesland Campina is a case in point. This is a great company with the right mindset.
This will create jobs, reduce poverty, and deepen regional value chains.
3. Fair trade and access to markets
Trade frameworks must reflect fairness. Non-tariff barriers and complex standards often disadvantage African producers.
The future must prioritise access, technology transfer, and mutually beneficial trade agreements under AfCFTA and EU frameworks. The CBI – Ginger initiative is a welcome collaboration between Nigeria and the EU.
(Nigerian ginger is considered among the best in the world. Its aroma, sharp taste and high oil content are unique features.
Nigeria was the world’s third-largest producer of ginger in 2018. Still, economic growth in Nigeria is spread unevenly and many people live in poverty.
The Nigerian ginger sector has the potential to add more value and diversify its markets.
In 2021, the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI) started a project to strengthen the sector’s quality services.
In the project, Nigerian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are supported to create value-added ginger products.
This is done by improving quality, helping with sustainability certification and organic or refined processing.
4. Technology and knowledge partnership
The 21st-century partnership must be based on technology transfer, research collaboration, and capacity building.
Let us replace the model of finished goods for raw materials with one of shared innovation. We cannot keep collecting peanuts for our coffee beans while paying premium dollars at Starbucks.
5. Inclusive growth and sustainability
Intercontinental business must be anchored in sustainability – environmentally, socially, and economically.
Women, youth, and small enterprises must not be left behind in this journey.
The market is large enough for everyone to get a share. The sky is big enough for all birds to fly without impeding one another.
Examples of Opportunity
The opportunities for partnership are vast:
• In energy, Africa’s abundant sunlight and Europe’s technology can together lead the world in renewable innovation.
• In agriculture, Africa’s fertile lands and Europe’s processing expertise can ensure food security on both continents. With the golden triangle approach of the Netherlands ( Government-Research Institutions-Private Sector partnership), prosperity is possible.
It is no wonder Netherlands is the second largest producer of food in the world. Netherlands has mastered how to improve the yield of their produce.
• In healthcare, Africa’s growing pharmaceutical sector and Europe’s regulatory experience can build resilient health systems.
• In digitalisation, Africa’s mobile-driven innovation and Europe’s cybersecurity frameworks can together define the next frontier of global commerce.
Reclaiming the Narrative
We must remember – narratives shape behaviour.
For too long, Africa’s story has been told by others.
It is time for Africa to tell its own story – confidently, creatively, and collaboratively.
As an African diplomat who has served in Europe, I have seen firsthand that when Africa speaks with a clear voice, the world listens.
When we negotiate with clarity and unity, the terms of engagement change.
And when we demand fairness – not as charity, but as a right – we gain respect.
We must therefore approach intercontinental business not with a sense of inferiority, but with the dignity of equal partnership. We must come to the table with a true understanding of our selfworth.
A Call to European Partners
To our European friends – including the Netherlands – I say this:
The future of global prosperity is not in rivalry, but in renewed partnership.
When the Dutch Africa Strategy speaks of mutual trust and equality, let us make it real by ensuring African inclusion in every phase of implementation.
Let us transform the strategy from a policy paper into a living framework of collaboration – where Dutch and African entrepreneurs, scientists, and innovators co-create the industries of tomorrow.
Let us build joint centres of excellence, green industrial zones, and value-chain partnerships that demonstrate the power of equality in action.
A Call to African Entrepreneurs and Governments
And to my fellow Africans – government leaders, business owners, innovators – let us rise up to this moment.
The world will not value what we do not value ourselves. If you call yourself a doormat, nobody will call you a queen.
We must create enabling environments – stable policies, secure safe spaces, transparent governance, reliable infrastructure – that attract and sustain investment.
We must develop our human capital – in science, technology, engineering, entertainment, and management – to power our own industries.
We must trade more with each other – because an integrated Africa is a stronger Africa.
The artificial division of Africa in 1884 – 1885 at the Berlin conference must give way to deliberate and intentional solidarity.
Let us remember: no one will add value to our resources unless we decide to do so ourselves. Africa must first be developed by Africans. People respect what is developed.
The Spirit of Ubuntu – Our Shared Humanity
At the heart of all these conversations lies a deeper truth:
Our destinies are intertwined.
As the African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Africa and Europe are natural neighbours.
Africa and Europe must go far – together.
Not as donor and recipient, not as exporter and importer, but as partners in progress, equals in vision, and co-architects of a sustainable future.
Conclusion – A Future Defined by Partnership
In closing, let me return to where I began:
We are not just shaping intercontinental business – we are shaping intercontinental destiny. We are being pragmatic about our inevitable future.
The Dutch Africa Strategy 2023–2032 gives us an opportunity – not a finished product, but a framework to build upon. Maybe for a Europe – Africa strategy.
It is an invitation to redefine partnership.
To move from strategy on paper to collaboration in practice.
To replace extraction with equity, and charity with shared prosperity.
Let us move forward, therefore, with mutual respect and renewed trust –
Recognising that Africa is not a problem to be solved, but a partner to be embraced.
That Europe’s success and Africa’s progress are inseparable.
And that together, we can build a world where every resource, every innovation, and every partnership adds value – not just to economies, but to human lives.
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As we engage in this dialogue today, let us ensure that the next time an Africa Strategy is written – it is written not about Africa, but with Africa!
Thank you.
Former Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the Kingdom of the Netherlands
