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Hosted by Chairman Kamel Ghribi at The Plaza Hotel, ECAM Council unveils its Charter on Africa in New York, a nine-principle framework for reciprocal partnerships that turn Africa's resources, markets, and talent into lasting prosperity
NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 25, 2026 / As world leaders gathered in New York, the ECAM Council, hosted by its Chairman Kamel Ghribi at The Plaza Hotel, today presented the ECAM Charter on Africa, a framework built on one core idea: Africa's growth is a defining opportunity for the continent and the world, and it should be pursued through equal partnerships, not charity.
"Africa does not need charity; it needs partners," said Ghribi in his opening statement. "Africa is not the continent of tomorrow. It is the continent of today."
The Charter positions Africa at the center of the forces reshaping the global economy, including growing markets, the energy transition, emerging technologies, infrastructure, value chains, and security. With a population of 1.5 billion, the youngest of any continent, and the African Union holding a permanent seat at the G20 since 2023, Africa's influence on global policy is already established.
"Africa is ready. Africa has changed," said Francisca Tatchouop. "But external credibility begins at home." She stressed that strong leadership, solid domestic foundations, and unified strategies are what make international collaboration work.
A Partnership in Which Each Side Contributes
The Charter proposes a cross-regional model. Europe and the United States contribute technology and industrial expertise. Gulf countries contribute investment capacity. African countries contribute resources, markets, talent, and growing industrial potential. All of this operates with full respect for African countries' decisions and ownership of their development.
UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi highlighted the value of this cross-regional cooperation in converting investment and knowledge into shared results.
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Nine Guiding Principles
Within the framework of the United Nations development objectives, ECAM commits to:
1. Local value creation: processing resources and building industry on the continent so more value stays in Africa.
2. Public-private partnerships: pooling the resources and expertise of institutions, businesses, investors, research centers, and international organizations.
3. Tangible projects: turning commitments into measurable projects developed with African partners.
4. Sustainability and lasting impact: supporting projects that are economically sustainable, socially inclusive, and environmentally responsible.
5. African leadership and responsibility: African partners set priorities, design initiatives, and lead development.
6. Transparency and measurability: objectives, resources, and results that can be independently assessed.
7. Innovation and the transfer of expertise: adopting new technologies while building local capacity.
8. Regional integration: cross-border infrastructure, value chains, and market integration.
9. Long-term partnerships: relationships built on trust and continuity rather than one-off interventions.
From Vision to Action
ECAM will translate these principles into concrete projects identified with African partners and developed alongside institutions, businesses, investors, and international organizations. The goal is to mobilize capital, technology, and expertise that strengthen Africa's productive, technological, and industrial capacity and drive growth, employment, innovation, health, and resilience.
The Charter holds that development depends on the capacity to transform resources, not only to export them, and that prosperity is the foundation of stability and peace. It closes with ECAM's guiding sequence:
From resources to value.
From value to prosperity.
From prosperity to stability.
From stability to peace.
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About ECAM Council
The European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East (ECAM Council) is a private, non-profit, non-partisan association. It was founded by Kamel Ghribi, President of GKSD Investment Holding, and Paolo Rotelli, President of Vita-Salute San Raffaele University. The Council works to strengthen ties between Europe, Africa and the MENA region, with Italy in a leading role. It focuses on long-term investment and partnerships in healthcare, infrastructure, education, research and training. For more information, visit ecamcouncil.com.
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SOURCE: GKSD Investment Holding