afrol News, 12 November - The Spanish Canary Islands archipelago, offshore Western Sahara, is seeking to become the new hub for European relations with Africa, with success. Funds from the European Union (EU) and the Spanish central government are already available for this purpose and this week, it was decided that Las Palmas was to become the host for the House of Africa.

Spain already has its influential and well-established House of Latin America, located in Madrid, and the more recent House of Asia, located in Barcelona. As Spain increasingly discovers its southern neighbour continent, the establishment of a House of Africa was a logical step. The regional struggle over its location this week gave victory to the autonomous province of the Canary Islands.

The House of Africa will become a powerhouse for Spain's commercial and cultural ties with Africa, as well as a place for research and encounters. Its location in Las Palmas, the capital of the Canary Islands, is the result of lobbying from the provincial government and its business sector. It is a natural step after the large investments in making the Canary Islands a bridgehead between Europe and Africa.

The Canary Islands are geographically located in Africa but culturally European. Some 100 kilometres outside Western Sahara and Morocco, the autonomous Spanish archipelago for several years has plaid an important role in West Africa. Local businesses invest in Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Cape Verde and Ghana. The provincial government runs its own development programmes in the same countries and Las Palmas is increasingly becoming a shopping and recreation centre for the economic elite of West Africa.

Only five years ago, the situation was different. The close neighbourhood with Africa was thus mostly noted by the growing stream of illegal immigrants reaching the Spanish archipelago. A successful campaign by the influential chambers of commerce rapidly has changed the islanders' outlook. Now, the chambers cooperate closely with chambers all over West Africa and the Portuguese islands of Azores and Madeira and the interest of local politicians has been assured.

The provincial government, with help from Madrid and Brussels, now aims at making the Canary Islands the natural hub for African and European ties, afrol News is told in Las Palmas. The announced establishment of the House of Africa in Las Palmas thus is seen as an important victory on this road.

The decision is however yet to be announced officially. According to sources in the governments of Spain and the Canary Islands, a formal decision on the establishment of the House of Africa in Las Palmas will be made in the end of November or the beginning of December. The announcement is foreseen at a meeting between Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos and Spain's ambassadors in Africa in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the second city in Canary Islands.

Meanwhile, the Canary Islands' business sector goes on with its own programme to deepen ties with West Africa. Only next week, the islands' cambers of commerce foresee a large Multisectoral Commercial Mission to Ghana, one of the countries seen as economically most interesting in Africa by Canary Islands authorities. During the first six months of this year, the archipelago's exports to Ghana increased by 44 percent compared to the same period last year.

So far, the strongest ties are however registered with the archipelago of Cape Verde, which has many geographical and cultural similarities with the equally volcanic Canary Islands. The two archipelagos, together with Azores and Madeira, also are part of a relatively newly defined region known as Macaronesia and there are earmarked EU funds for the development of this region. Most are already channelled through Las Palmas.

By staff writers

© afrol News

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