EU launches new initiative to boost Africa-Europe cultural partnerships

Titled Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture: West Africa, the programme will run from 2025 to 2028 and aims to promote cultural diversity, foster international collaboration, and enhance the global visibility of artists and festivals in 15 West African countries. These include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

The initiative, officially announced by the EU through the Goethe-Institut, will be launched during an online ceremony on 24 July 2025. The event will be streamed live on the Goethe-Institut’s Facebook page from 6pm GMT.

The project aims to strengthen regional and intercontinental networks, particularly through the internationalisation of the festival sector. Funded by the EU and implemented by the Goethe-Institut, the initiative will provide training, funding, and platforms for international exposure to artists, festival organisers, and cultural professionals.

Key objectives and activities of the programme include strengthening co-creation and collaboration between African and European artists and cultural actors to promote dialogue, diversity, and mutual understanding, establishing six transnational festival clusters, each led by a major festival, offering training programmes in festival management, technical production, and artistic development, facilitating networking between West African festivals and their European counterparts, providing financial support for artistic collaborations and mobility and engaging with policymakers to enhance cultural tourism and secure sustainable funding for the sector.

The initiative anticipates the following outcomes by 2028 training of 250 festival professionals in international best practices, support for 450 artists to enhance their global career prospects, inclusion of 48 festivals in regional and international cultural networks and strengthening of cultural ties between West Africa and the EU, with positive socio-economic impacts.

The EU will also take an active role in implementation through its delegations in participating countries. It will facilitate government engagement, ensure transparency, and share project outcomes via its communication platforms.

Find more about Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture: West Africa here.