IF the frequency of VIP visits is a barometer of a country or region’s global importance, then the European Union is flying very high. Only days after hosting US President Barack Obama, EU leaders next week will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and only hours after that engage in a lively talkfest with an impressive lineup of African leaders.

The EU-Africa meeting on April 2-3 is being represented as a new start to a relationship which has fallen on stale and musty times.

Both Africa and the EU have been busy building friendships in Asia, especially with China. Both are distracted by immediate crisis: Ukraine for Europe, South Sudan, Mali and Central African Republic for the African Union.

Africans still bristle over colonial injustices. Europeans can’t help but tell them what they do wrong. Still, it looks like both sides may be ready to turn over a new leaf.

To do this, they must use the meeting next week to seal a new alliance for Africa’s socio-economic transformation. Africa and Europe are still important partners, with a relationship that has withstood the test of time.

It’s time for a major rethink, however. “Opportunity Africa” must replace Europe’s still-jaundiced view of Africa as a problem.

Doing so requires a shift in mindsets away from government-focused policies to people-centered actions and from aid to trade, investments and business. It has long been said: the donor/recipient relationship needs to be replaced by an equal partnership.

Rapidly-changing domestic, regional and global developments make such a relationship reboot even more imperative.

To stay relevant in an era of volatile geo-politics, Africa-Europe relations will have to become more strategic, political and geared to tackling 21st century challenges, including climate change, human trafficking and pandemics.

For Europeans, it means jettisoning old stereotypes and fully embracing a new “Africa rising” narrative, which reflects the continent’s changing realities. Access to Africa’s expanding markets and African raw materials will remain essential for European economic growth. But peace and stability in Africa are equally important for Europe’s prosperity.

Africa too needs to revisit its views of Europe. Courted by an array of affluent and dynamic new aid partners, including China, Brazil and Turkey, Africa is no longer as reliant on European development assistance as in the past.

It’s now European markets, know-how and technology as well as Europe’s experience in regional integration and preventive diplomacy which can help. Europe’s policies to tackle regional inequalities, build capacity and regulatory frameworks can also benefit African governments.

Ascending Africa is not merely a slogan. Across the continent, poverty levels are falling, incomes are rising and there have been improvements in education and health.

African economies have flourished over the past decade, turning the region into a magnet for foreign investors. Regional growth is expected to rise to 6 per cent this year from 5pc in 2013, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), making Africa second only to developing Asia in pace of expansion.

Celebrating Africa’s rise, however, does not mean ignoring its many challenges. Headline grabbing reports of high African growth rates, glittering cities and a thriving middle class tell only part of the story.

To ensure a successful and sustained transformation of their economies, African countries must use the coming years to step up efforts to diversify their largely resource-based economies by investing in a modern and productive agriculture, building up a still-weak industrial base and encouraging entrepreneurship.

Work on a new transformational agenda has started. “Agriculture should be an engine for industrialisation on the continent,” African Union Commission chairwoman Nkosazana Diamini-Zuma told a recent African Union summit in Addis Ababa.

There is a new focus on industrialisation. Participation in Global Value Chains (GVCs) — which allow developing countries to develop specific skills or products for participation in international production networks — is still low across the continent. Governments are also supporting private-sector development in manufacturing, encouraging foreign investments and promoting young entrepreneurs.

Africa’s growing number of young people need jobs. Failure to do so could lead to social unrest, political strife and a rise in extremism. Social inequalities remain a challenge. Corruption has long been recognised as a major problem as has poor governance. Africa has a long way to go in building integrated regional markets and improving and building infrastructure, moves that will promote intra-African trade and investments.

The establishment of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) is an important step forward in the continent’s long uphill struggle to establish peace and stability. But as the recent explosion of violence in the Central African Republic illustrates, ending strife in Africa still too often requires determined military intervention by AU and foreign troops.

Leaders next week are likely to underline that Africa-Europe ties are an important element in the growing network of alliances and coalitions which are emerging to tackle regional and global challenges.

As they grapple with climate change, immigration, extremism and the task of ensuring equitable, sustained and inclusive growth, Africa and Europe have more to gain from their partnership than ever before. In a changing world, Africa-Europe ties are still relevant — but need careful nurturing.

—The writer is Dawn’s correspondent in Brussels.