On November 22nd, IPDAL organized the 3rd edition of Africa XXI, the main conference focusing on the African continent in Portugal.

The interventions of relevant international organizations, the Portuguese government, foundations, think tanks and private sector leaders, made it possible to debate the main issues facing the continent, particularly in the area of food insecurity as a result of the invasion of Ukraine, and how bi-regional cooperation can contribute to resolving these challenges.

The opening of the work was carried out by the president of IPDAL, the Rector of the European University, Hélia Gonçalves Pereira, and the Director for Spain, Portugal and Italy of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, David Henneberger. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Portugal, Francisco André, spoke at the end of the event about the need for Portugal to maintain a solid partnership with Africa, focused on the future.

The Secretary-General of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OEACP), Ambassador Georges Chikoti, offered a keynote speech on the current challenges of multilateralism in the regions it represents.

This was followed by a panel on the threat of food insecurity as a consequence of the War in Ukraine, which included the participation of Ambassador Josefa Sacko, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Economy and Blue Economy of the African Union, Ambassador Rita Laranjinha, Director-General for Africa of the European External Action Service, by Mohammed Mouline, Director General of the Institut Royal des Études Stratégiques (IRES), and Damian Berger, co-founder of the consultancy company specializing in the Middle East and North Africa, Ishtar Analytics.

An original IPDAL report was also presented on the current state of trade relations in Africa, prepared by Africa Advisor Daniel Mawonso Mendes, followed by a round table of ambassadors, attended by the ambassadors of South Africa, Angola, Egypt, Morocco and Senegal, who analyzed the points mentioned in the study, relating it to the respective national reality.

The Africa XXI Conference was held by IPDAL, with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, European University, IRES, Grupo Azevedos, Cunha Vaz & Associados, OEACP, and Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Portugal.