Cooperation in motion

Strategic corridors: connecting regions, transforming economies 

The re-industrialisation of Europe and the industrialisation of Africa are closely linked: while Europe is seeking to strengthen its industrial and technological autonomy, Africa is entering a decisive phase in its industrial expansion, driven by demographic dynamism and the opportunity for a technological leap forward.  

The African priority corridors are evidence of this linkage. By modernising transport routes and strengthening value chains, corridors facilitate trade and mobility within the African continent and with Europe. As part of the European Global Gateway investment plan, Enabel is playing an active role in 8 of the 12 priority corridors identified in Africa. The focus is on technical assistance, infrastructure, investment and ecological transition. 

This section presents an excerpt from the interview. The full interview is available via this link or at the bottom of the page.

How would you describe the current situation in the Chernihiv region? How are people coping, and what are the most pressing needs? 

Our people first experienced life without electricity, water, heating, and gas in 2022, when part of the region was temporarily occupied by Russian forces. This drove us to strengthen our air defenses – but when confronted with such relentless missile and drone attacks, even the best defenses can only do so much.  
 
Over the past year, more than 24,000 enemy strikes were recorded in our area. While the strikes have been ongoing for four years, this winter saw the most brutal attacks on the energy sector. Russia also deliberately carries out double-tap strikes, targeting energy workers mid-repair and making infrastructure restoration extremely dangerous.  

Still, we did everything in our power to ensure our people did not freeze in -20°C temperatures. We opened numerous resilience hubs and made every effort to support people with disabilities and the elderly. With rolling power outages already a fact of life, our priority was to at least preserve access to heating – and this is where Enabel's mobile boilers proved invaluable.

The region's demographics have shifted – many have fled, but many have also arrived. How is this shift affecting social services?

Chernihiv is Ukraine's second largest region by territory but it's also least densely populated, so access to social services has always been a challenge. The full-scale invasion has only stretched this further, with about 30,000 internally displaced people from other regions and a growing number of war veterans now among our residents.
Maintaining the quality and accessibility of healthcare, education and administrative services is a shared priority across communities and all levels of government – and having strong partners to support institutional capacity is essential.

Enabel began its work here in 2024. How would you assess this partnership so far?  

I wish all memoranda of cooperation worked as well as the one we have with Enabel. Belgium's support for energy resilience, healthcare and education has been consistent and timely, and we are truly grateful.   

My hope is that one day the Chernihiv region will also become a full-fledged partner to our allies – not just a recipient of support, but an equal contributor. I envision a bilateral relationship built on economic, cultural and educational exchange. In healthcare alone, our doctors have developed invaluable expertise in areas like rehabilitation – hard-won knowledge that the world could learn from. That kind of mutual cooperation is my dream. Second only to Ukraine's victory.  

This section presents an excerpt from the interview. The full interview is available via this link or at the bottom of the page.

Puratos est un groupe mondial belge spécialisé dans le secteur des ingrédients pour la boulangerie, la pâtisserie et le chocolat. Fondé en 1919, il est présent dans plus de 100 pays et réalise près de 3,5 milliards d’euros de chiffre d’affaires annuel.

Sustainability is at the heart of your cocoa strategy. Why is this a key matter?   

The cocoa strategy of Puratos is the result of a historic development. We entered the chocolate business rather late, in an already highly competitive market. That was in 1989. We very quickly decided to focus on chocolate from specific plantations or from specific regions. While learning the trade, we discovered a major problem in the cocoa supply chain, particularly in Africa: farmers were very poorly paid and struggled to make a living from their work. 

We were shocked. Both ethically and strategically. If producers cannot make a living from their work, why would they pass the trade on to their children? In the long term, the very future of cocoa supply is at risk. We set out checking existing sustainable certification labels, but found that they were not perfect, and that part of the premiums inevitably remained within the management structures. 

So, we decided to create our own programme, Cacao-Trace, built on two pillars. Firstly, improving cocoa quality. We pay farmers a premium price in relation to the market price, and have developed expertise in fermentation and drying, which allows us to produce very high-quality cocoa. 
Secondly, we have the chocolate bonus. As we are a B2B company, our customers pay an extra 10 cents for every kilo of Cacao-Trace chocolate they buy. 100% of this sum is paid back to the farmers via a foundation. 

Thanks to this system, producers benefit from significant additional income while improving the quality of their cocoa. For us, it is a real win-win model: we get better quality cocoa while having a real impact on the lives of farming communities. 

Why are public-private partnerships essential, and how do Puratos and Enabel team up? 

Public-private partnerships are essential, as acting alone is often slower and harder. In many countries, particularly in Africa, administration and logistics make projects more complex. Public-sector partners like Enabel bring credibility, an institutional network and knowledge of local contexts that we do not always have. 

The complementarity is clear: Puratos brings its cocoa expertise, investment capacity and technical knowledge. Enabel facilitates local relations, supports the structuring of cooperatives and speeds up the implementation of projects. This collaboration is particularly important when we are expanding into new countries where we do not yet have local teams. 

For example, we are looking to diversify our supply beyond Côte d'Ivoire, with projects in Congo, Cameroon and Uganda. In these contexts, the support of a public player helps to reduce risks and accelerate initiatives. It is this complementarity that guarantees the success of our projects. 

Building trust in medicines across Africa 

Access to safe, effective and affordable medicines is fundamental to public health. Yet across many African countries, patients and health professionals still face the daily risk of encountering products that are ineffective or even dangerous. Substandard and falsified products continue to circulate, particularly where regulatory systems are fragmented or under-resourced. 

From a shared vision to reality 

For more than a decade, Enabel has been working with African partners to strengthen medicines regulation and promote cooperation across borders. This long-term engagement contributed to a major milestone: the creation of the African Medicines Agency (AMA). 
Adopted by the African Union in 2019 and operational since 2025, AMA is designed to support national regulators, align standards and improve the quality and safety of medicines and health technologies across the continent.

In Mauritania, Enabel supports national authorities in improving regulatory procedures and strengthening quality control mechanisms. This helps ensure that medicines reaching pharmacies, clinics and health facilities meet safety standards – including in remote areas where oversight is more challenging. 

In Senegal, Enabel supports regulatory authorities in reinforcing their frameworks and practices, helping them align with continental standards and engage more effectively in regional and African regulatory initiatives. Together, these efforts contribute to building the foundations on which AMA can operate effectively. 

Alongside country-level support, Enabel plays a key role in coordinating partners at continental level. As Chair of the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation (AMRH) Partnership Platform.

This coordination role is further strengthened through the Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies in Africa (TESS MAV+), led by Enabel. By connecting technical support, political dialogue and funding, TESS MAV+ is a central pillar of Africa’s progress toward safer, better regulated medicines.