Africa is a strategic and political priority for Spain. In order to manage and plan the growth of our presence in the region, Africa Plans were approved and in 2018 it is expected that a 3rd Plan will be approved which will incorporate Spain's 2014 External Action Strategy, as well as the 2017 National Security Strategy. These days, the situation in Africa brings with it new challenges. Together with the persistence of problems such as poverty, AIDS and threats against peace and security, the advance of democracy, economic growth and the dynamics of regional integration give way to new scenarios.
As such, the democratic and economic forces are going to transform the continent in the decades to come. In this context, the Spanish government wants to contribute to encourage a vision of Africa as an area of inclusive and sustainable growth, of peace, security and political security and where human rights are respected. Spain's national interests largely coincide with the objectives of the African countries themselves, as expressed in the African Union's Agenda 2063.
At a sub-regional level, our efforts are concentrated in the Sahel, West Africa and the Horn of Africa, without forgetting the SADC countries and Equatorial Guinea.