2020 was set to be a pivotal year for Europe-Africa trade. But a few months down the line, and regions have had to divert their efforts almost exclusively onto mitigating the impacts of the Coronavirus outbreak. Despite all the challenges, African financial institutions have proved remarkably robust and African countries, at least so far, have defied many of the pessimistic expectations in dealing with the myriad economic and social assaults that have come their way.
It remains to be seen whether European trade partners will still see Africa as the land of opportunity that they had before in the post-crisis environment. But Jeff Fallon, Head of Client Coverage at BACB, is optimistic that strong inter-continental trade collaboration could follow in the wake of the pandemic.