Concrete industrial cooperation is increasingly visible. At the Global Gateway Forum in October 2025, the EU and South Africa mobilized nearly €12 billion in investment focused on inclusive prosperity, sustainable infrastructure, digital connectivity and pharmaceutical value chains – broadening traditional energy ties into deeper industrial partnerships. The European Commission also announced more than €200 million in Team Europe investments to support Zambia’s industrial development, particularly along the strategically significant Lobito Corridor linking the Copperbelt to Atlantic markets.

These developments reflect a shift in how Europe engages with Africa – not just as a market for energy exports but as a partner in co-production and value creation. Under the Global Gateway framework, the EU, Member States and European development finance institutions are aligning investments with African industrial priorities, from energy grid modernization and clean power expansion to renewables, hydrogen and critical mineral processing.

The energy dimension is central to this equation. Also in October 2025, the European Commission unveiled a €618 million Team Europe support package under Global Gateway to accelerate renewable deployment and grid expansion across Africa, funding interconnection, electrification and storage projects in Kenya, Uganda, the DRC, Mauritania and Nigeria. At the same time, the African Development Bank’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa secured nearly €50 million in new commitments at COP30 to support Mission 300, connecting millions of Africans to electricity and fostering emerging green hydrogen programs. Together, these initiatives demonstrate how European and African partners are combining financing and strategy to catalyze energy access, clean power and downstream value chains across the continent.

Africa’s industrial rise extends beyond energy. In 2025, European support advanced key mining and critical mineral projects in Malawi, South Africa, Madagascar and Zambia, securing supply chains for clean energy technologies and strengthening local processing capacity. These partnerships are central to ambitions on both continents to co-develop value chains for electric vehicles, batteries and renewable components, reducing reliance on distant suppliers and building resilience in strategic sectors.

These themes – reciprocal industrialization, strategic co-production and supply-chain diversification – will be explored at the plenary panel “Industrial Alliances in a Multipolar World: Africa and Europe’s Strategic Equation”at the upcoming Invest in African Energy (IAE) Forum in Paris. The session will bring together senior leaders from governments, development finance institutions, private industry and research to discuss how alliances can deliver shared economic growth, resilient infrastructure and long-term investment flows.

As Africa and Europe navigate global shifts and deepen strategic ties, the panel aims to provide actionable insights on moving from rhetoric to bankable projects, equitable value chains and diversified economic partnerships. In a multipolar world where capital, technology and geopolitical interest intersect, these alliances could define the future of industrial growth on both continents.

IAE 2026 is an exclusive forum designed to connect African energy markets with global investors, serving as a key platform for deal-making in the lead-up to African Energy Week. Scheduled for April 22–23, 2026, in Paris, the event will provide delegates with two days of in-depth engagement with industry experts, project developers, investors and policymakers. For more information, visit www.invest-africa-energy.com. To sponsor or register as a delegate, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com