Spain is working well in Africa and has more to do

Spain carries out important work in Africa and promotes investment and industrial development on the African continent. This is one of the issues addressed at the Africa-Spain Cooperation Summit held in Madrid.
Atalayar talked to Abdou Diop, Development Director of Mazars in Africa, to analyse in depth the economic and investment relationship between Spain and Africa.

Abdou Diop, development director of Mazars in Africa, what is your opinion about the Africa-Spain Cooperation Summit? What has been the most interesting thing? 

I think this Africa-Spain Cooperation Summit is very important. From my point of view, there are three very important things. 

The first is to make Spanish companies understand Africa. Because I think that we, as Africans, know more about Spain and Spanish companies than Spain knows about Africa. So it is important to organise these kinds of summits so that Spanish companies know what Africa is. 

The second thing is also to share the challenges that Africa faces to really show what the real risks are, to have a good perception. Because there is often a very bad perception of Africa, which is not really the reality. That is why it is important that this summit shows the real situation in Africa. 

And the third point is to point out the opportunities that are being given at the moment for that cooperation. Because yes, there are many opportunities, each period with its own types of opportunities. We have opportunities today because there is the great African continental free trade area, which is underway, creating a great single market. There are opportunities because Africa is moving a lot in renewable energies, where Spain has great potential. There are many opportunities at the moment because many countries are talking about desalination, because we need to mobilise non-conventional water, because there are some countries that are facing water stress and Spain has experience in this. We know that COVID is talking about food security and we know all the experience that Spain has in agriculture and food processing. There are many opportunities that we have to explain and show to Spain in general and to Spanish companies to really promote this cooperation with Africa and create a new way of cooperating between the different African countries and Spain. 

Do you think that Spain and Europe should adapt their regulations to the African reality in order to cooperate? 

Yes, I think it is very important to adapt not only the regulations, but also the rules, the mentality, the way of cooperating with Africa. Yes, African countries are becoming more and more mature and are looking for a truly balanced cooperation. When we cooperate with European countries and they want to put some conditions, some sovereignty conditions, African countries can no longer accept it. So European countries, Spain included, have to change their way of cooperating and their regulations in this respect. 

The second thing is that we cannot always engage Africa in the conditions of regulating the movement of people, controlling terrorism and being green. We need a more balanced cooperation without all these conditions that are not really fair to Africa. 

And we also need to change the mentality in the way we deal with Africa as far as Spanish companies are concerned, because so far Spanish companies are more about trade, more about providing expertise in national tenders, building plants, building desalination structures, building power plants and so on. Now we really need to have Spanish companies investing in industries. There are many big companies that are very strong in industry. They need to come and invest in the continent. Some are doing it, but it is not enough. And in this new cooperation, we need to have all this change.  

In which sectors do you remember Spanish companies cooperating? Energy, infrastructure, tourism...? 

I think there are many sectors, but today companies have to stick to African priorities. When I say African priorities, the first priority is infrastructure, because there are many shortcomings. And in infrastructures, Spain is working well in Africa and has more to do. As I said, there will be many desalination projects and Spanish companies are known for this. There will be many renewable energy projects, but also conventional ones. So Spanish companies can also help. The second area after infrastructure is agriculture and food security. In this area we also know all of Spain's experience in agriculture, food processing and agribusiness. There are also many opportunities in this area. We also know that, thirdly, African countries are becoming very interested in the development of tourism, and Spanish companies have a great deal of experience in this area as well. And in many other industries, yes, green energy, renewable energies... There are many sectors with potential and each African country, each African region has its own realities where Spanish companies can make progress. 

One issue that has been on the panels during these days is communication. The challenge of providing real information about Africa, without any stereotypes. Do you believe that the media will have the commitment and the obligation to offer real information, good communication about Africa?

Yes, it is clear. That's why I say we have to have another look at Africa, not just look at Africa through what is happening in Fuerteventura in terms of migration or what is happening in terms of wherever terrorism is hitting. We have to look at Africa from the point of view of all the opportunities that exist, all the developments. As I said, in many areas of digital, specifically in digital banking, Europe should learn a lot from Africa because we are doing so well that we are more advanced than Europe in those areas.

So it is important not to stay stuck in the Africa of 40 or 50 years ago, but to learn more about the reality. And that is also the role of the media, to really communicate the reality of Africa. It is not only the role of the Spanish media, it is first and foremost the role of Africans. As you know, there is an African proverb that says: until the story between the lion and the hunter comes out of the hunter's mouth, we will know in the end how it will end, because the lion will never have the chance to say that he has won. So we Africans also have to show our real story, show what is going on. And I think that's really the role of the media, but also our role in this forum, to tell the truth, to say that yes, we have challenges, but there are things that are moving forward. And that's why in the panel it was very interesting that people spoke from the heart, saying: look, you face challenges, we face challenges on the ground. And others said, yes, but things are moving forward. Look how it has improved in 10 years, in 20 years. And that's how you can know each other better and be more confident in the present and in the future, knowing the past.