Two consulting firms in communication and public affairs, 35 ° North and Lysios, reportedly announced the launch of a global offer of advice and support based in Brussels under the brand EurAfrica. The announcement was made on the occasion of the conference “Africa – Europe: creating value and building a future together” held today in Brussels.
35 ° Nord is a strategic consulting and communication agency dedicated to the African continent, which supports its private and public clients in their advocacy and development. Lysios , a public affairs consulting firm, supports its clients in their relations with their institutional, political and regulatory environment and all their stakeholders in France and in Europe.
Eurafrica will offer strategic advice, relations with the public authorities, public relations and the press to ensure a combination of skills to establish a relationship of trust between private or public actors, their institutional interlocutors and public opinion, African and European.
EurAfrica aims to support international groups, companies and institutions, professional organizations, associations and foundations, across a broad spectrum of sectors including industry and agro-industry, energy, water and environment, logistics and transport, trade and distribution, telecoms, finance, education, media, health, public sector and institutions.
” For several years now, we have noted a lack of relations, knowledge and dialogue between African public decision-makers and companies active in Africa, and the institutions of the European Union,” explained Jean-Luc Archambault, Romain Grandjean, Philippe Perdrix and Grégoire Schöller, who are the founders of EurAfrica. “The year 2019 is particularly important in this respect, with the election of a new Parliament, the establishment of a new Commission and the preparatory work for the negotiation of the post-Cotonou agreements which will bind the two continents from of 2020.”
The founders added that Africa and the European Union can be brought closer together by contributing to a better understanding of the content and methods of European policy-making with regard to the African continent and by facilitating access to European private and public funding.
Europe is Africa’s largest trading partner with 36 per cent of trade, or 243.5 billion euros in 2017, far ahead of China (16%) and the United States (6%). The European private sector accounted for more than 40% of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa, or € 291 billion, compared with 7% for the United States and 5% for China [1] in 2017.
Considering the trade relationship, Africa and Europe have a common interest in intensifying and strengthening their partnership.
“To seize these opportunities, we need to encourage greater involvement of private sector companies and civil society organizations, and to promote shared or reciprocal interests,” said EurAfrica founders.
