The European Union Commission proposes conditioning development assistance in Africa and other third countries in cooperation with immigration enforcement. Under global European equipment, the allocation of aid may depend on how well a country cooperates with returns, readmissions and border control.An internal EU document cited by Financial Times and Reuters states that countries that do not comply with deportation agreements could be cut in aid. The move has led to criticism from humanitarian organisations, which Oxfam calls “a distortion of the EU development goals” and “short-term political revisions” to deeper structural issues.The change in policy is that pressure within Europe will be increased and suppress irregular movements across the Mediterranean and Sahara routes. This pressure is particularly intense in countries such as Germany, Italy and Greece, where domestic governments face an increase in domestic opposition to asylum seekers.
Damage message
African policy experts and scholars condemn policy change, calling it a forced and neocolonial era. They argue that the EU approach is likely to undermine both sovereignty and trust.“It stops your people from moving or losing aid. It sounds like a message of unity, not cooperation and cooperation,” Maria Ayuk, a postdoctoral researcher in peace and security at the German University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, told DW.“This will give African countries back to border guards rather than equal partners in development. The EU is securitized and has been politicized immigrants for many years.”She added, “What the EU is doing is to force Africans to keep Africans in Africa because they fear “Africanization” of Europe.”
Ignore the root cause of the migration
While European policymakers often emphasize “pull factors” such as employment and security, African analysts say that there is a need to be very careful about the conditions in which people migrate to begin with.“People will definitely want to move,” said Fidel Amakie Oss, a Ghana-based geopolitical and security advisor. Some of the main drivers are “social economic issues, rural and urban developmental gaps, poverty, conflict and unemployment.”Media and Global Affairs analyst Paul Ejime agrees, “They are leaving because the environment (…) is not being encouraged.” Ejime also pointed out that “poverty, difficulties and instability” encourages Africans to risk their lives by seeking livelihoods. “Closening doors and building walls is not the solution.”According to Ayuk, governance failures are part of the problem. “We have some dictatorial leaders who want to stay in power forever. These are the core issues we have to deal with,” she told DW.Experts are consensus that European trade practices and foreign interventions are directly contributing to Africa's instability and economic underdevelopment. These conditions, they argue, further encourage the transition.“European extraction trade policy, arms exports, and selective intervention (…) have contributed to instability and anxiety, and of course underdevelopment, and the very movement that we are trying to prevent,” Ayuk said.“Most of the health personnel in these countries are in Europe and the US. The health sector is inadequately funded, underfunded and the personnel they have are leaving the country,” Ejime noted. This issue is exacerbated by his claim that he is a European double standard.
Use aid as a political weapon
EU tactics of conditioning development assistance regarding cooperation with transition goals are also perceived as exploitative.“Yes, I think the EU has aid in migration control,” Ayuk said. “It uses it as a weapon and shifts aid from solidarity to self-interest.”She said such an approach would “undermine trust and mutual respect” between Europe and Africa.Ejime added, “They always did that.”“Sometimes, they come up with conditions when they want to give you support,” he told DW.
African leadership under scrutiny
Though remarkably critical of the EU's policy shift, three experts who spoke with DW agreed that the African government will be held vital to the crisis and the harsh immigration policy against its citizens.“Africa is a problem because of the lack of international organizations,” Ayuk said. “What should represent Africa is not representative of Africa's collective interests, but the individual interests of the elite.”Some experts are calling on African leaders to redefine the terms of negotiations with the EU.“Unfortunately, they are negotiating from a weakness standpoint. They are weak. The economy is weak. Political, they are not even popular in their own country, and some are corrupt,” Ejime said.“In the past, under slavery, Africans were forced to go abroad. Today, the younger people are the ones who run away because the environment isn't encouraging.”
Is there any leverage remaining in Africa?
Despite their criticism, experts believe that Africa is not helpless. They argue that the strength of the continent can only come if it is able to mobilize political will.“There is potential and leverage in Africa,” Ayuk said, pointing to continental resources and regional blocks. “However, Africa requires unified leadership and a transition from dependency to self-defined development.”Owusu considers the need to utilize technology to ensure effective management of borders. “Many African countries lack the technology to patrol all borders. It's very difficult to manage such boundaries and control the flow of people.”However, he warned that the EU approach could be counterproductive for countries that are making real effort. As Europe becomes more isolated in its immigration policy, some African countries may begin to turn towards alternative global partnerships, such as BRICS countries and other global Southern initiatives.He suggested that if Europe continues to use development aid as leverage, Africa could deepen its ties with emerging forces such as China, India, Brazil and Russia. “The more (the West) appears inward towards the solution, the more confrontational their policies will become and Africa will move eastward,” he said.But Ejime proposed a different approach: “Africa is strategic, it needs to maximize its own interest and negotiate from a strength standpoint.” He added, “If skilled workers go abroad, there should be a kind of agreement or contract that sends back money to develop health and education systems.”
Trade aid risks long-term damage
Experts agree with the current EU model, which supports migration control, harms long-term relationships with Africa, and risks not being able to address the underlying cause.“Yes, we need to manage the transition, but we're not securitized or politicized. We need to have mutual relations based on respect, fairness and justice,” Ayuk said.Owusu also emphasized the need for mutual respect in achieving the desired outcome. “Europe has to stop looking at Africa as an issue and start treating it as a partner,” he told DW.Ejime regained the spotlight in Africa and there was a need for effective leadership. “Africa is not poor. It's under-control and it's poorly managed and it's poorly made by bad leadership.”
