Refocusing Development Co-Operation in Africa: The EU As a Global Health Champion?

In 2011 the European Commission engaged in a critical self-assessment of its development policy, by issuing a Communication which called for change in order to improve impact. The paper highlights the limitations of the ongoing process and elaborates on an alternative strategy.  Notably, in 2005 the EU decided to focus on Africa, especially on the most off-track countries with respect to the MDGs. By analyzing country strategy papers for the 10^th EDF, the first part shows that current European spending priorities place the EU at a disadvantage compared to the BRICS. The second part discusses the Commission’s “Agenda for change” and suggests that future strategies should pursue not only geographical but also sector concentration. The last part  argues the health sector is an optimal candidate for refocusing development co-operation to the mutual interest of donor and receiving countries. The claim is based on a variety of factors including: a) the current emphasis by the WHO on strengthening primary care and national  healthcare systems gives the EU a competitive advantage with respect to the US and emerging economies; b) the world-class European med-tech industry can play a crucial role providing both internal and external benefits; c) this allows to link EU internal policies on public health and research and innovation with development co-operation; d) by presenting itself as a health champion, the EU can achieve the visibility it currently lacks among the African citizenry at large and perhaps gradually help cancelling the bad memories that are connected to European colonial domination; e) health diplomacy can be a good start for building a fully-fledged EU foreign policy.