Global agreements and partnerships are trending rapidly, with nations in quest for mutually beneficial collaborations to address shared challenges. A recent example is the Samoa Agreement, a multilateral framework for the European Union relations with African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries, otherwise known as the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) officially signed on November 15, 2023, and expected to go into force on January 1, 2024.
The partnership was designed as a new legal framework for EU relations with 79 countries, which includes 47 African, 16 Caribbean, and 15 Pacific countries and the Republic of the Maldives, whereby about two billion people are covered by the agreement.
The principle covers six priorities which include (i) democracy and human rights; (ii) sustainable economic growth and development; (iii) climate change; (iv) human and social development; (v) peace and security; and (v) migration and mobility. The agreement thus constitutes a common foundation for African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (ACP) with a focus on each region’s specific needs and subject to renegotiation every 20 years.
The Samoa Agreement supersedes and replaces the Cotonou Agreement (2000), aimed at strengthening relations between the OACPS and EU. However, what distinguishes the new agreement is its emphasis on economic cooperation, environmental sustainability, and cultural exchange. In this regard, the agreement reveals the unique challenges and opportunities encountered by small island nations in Pacific regions, especially in the area of trade, development aid, and diplomatic cooperation.
These were also the challenges zeroed in a related multilateral treaty – the European Agreement with the Global South – whose goal was to foster economic growth, reduce poverty, and address global challenges through collaborative efforts despite regional dynamics.
But while the OACPS may have a shared status as constituents of the Global South, certain cultural issues highlight the tension and disagreement among them. For instance, about 35 OACPS countries, notably Nigeria declined to sign the agreement because it contains a provision that protects the human rights of Lesbianism, Gay Marriage, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, or Questioning Persons or Community (LGBTQ+). Understandably, the EU is troubled by the refusal of some countries to sign the agreement as this will exclude them from its benefits, including access to funding from the European Investment Bank among others. An important question for these countries, especially for Nigeria, is whether they should jettison the benefits of the important parts of the agreements, which include advantages in trade and development opportunities in terms of access to EU markets? These are not trivial benefits, as they will also attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), EU-funded development assistance, institutional reforms, infrastructural development, and investments in major sectors to aid economic growth.
In light of the aforementioned, it is important to examine how the Samoa Agreement’s region-specific strategies will contribute to broader economic development articulated in the EU’s objectives for the Global South. The Samoa Agreement brings together more than half of the UN members from four continents around shared priorities and interests. Consequently, the extent to which the agreement will provide a mechanism for long-term sustainability should be investigated and clarified. Any such mechanism, for instance, should be robust enough to manage the challenges of environmental degradation, economic disparities and cultural diversification to which these countries are prone. In short, which strategies will the Samoa Agreement adopt to foster economic growth and development in the regions?
Kehinde Mary Bello is of the Department of Economics, Kings University, Odeomu, Osun State.
The immediate objective of this study is to carefully study and identify the benefits of the Samoa Agreement compared with the EU Agreement with a view to evaluating their respective advantages. It is hoped that this will aid development in African regions and propose strategies to promote sustainable development in the various regions. The research is significant as it aims to contribute valuable insights into the exploration of region-specific development strategies enunciated in the Samoa Agreements. Accordingly, the findings from this study will have implications for future agreements by informing the national governments, international organisations, stakeholders, and policymakers on the relative advantages and effectiveness of a region-specific over a broad-spectrum approach to international cooperation.
A comprehensive mixed-methods approach (a combination of quantitative analysis of environmental data, social data, and economic data with qualitative assessment using case studies and policy documentation) will be proposed for this study. In addition, a webinar will be organised to bring together experts in the fields of economics, trade and industry, the Central Bank, the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), and policy experts from the Ministry of Finance. This is aimed at enlightening the public about the Samoa Agreement, its outcomes and benefits over other agreements to foster global partnership. This will enable further insights to develop an executive summary and policy brief for implementing the recommendation arising from the research.
The Samoa Agreement and the EU Agreement share the common goals of fostering development and cooperation with the Global South, but the Samoa Agreement offers a unique method tailored to the explicit challenges faced by Pacific Island nations. It emphasises cultural, environmental, and economic considerations, which can be identified as an advantageous model for similar regions facing distinctive challenges. Therefore, further analysis will be crucial to evaluating the long-term effects of these agreements.
Kehinde Mary Bello is of the Department of Economics, Kings University, Odeomu, Osun State.
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