RENEWEPAC

What I have learnt from young leaders in Africa

When I arrived at the Marriott Hotel in Rabat with my liberal friends from Germany to take part in the RENEWPAC Summit and the International Liberal Youth Forum – made possible by our MEP Jan-Christoph Oetjen and under the patronage of Alexandra von Schumann-Heldt (Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom) – I was expecting stimulating ideas and debates on economic cooperation, geopolitics, migration and populism.
What I found, however, was far more: a global liberal family whose resilience and courage have profoundly broadened and transformed my understanding of political engagement.

When freedom is a matter of survival

During the conference, I had the honour of meeting individuals whose accounts deeply impressed me and, in some cases, shook me to the core.

One conversation in particular with the former President of the Seychelles has stayed with me. He vividly described how people in his homeland have come to fear full moons. What is romantic for many has become a threat for them: rising water levels, flooding, the real fear of losing their own homes. As someone for whom freedom is a fundamental value, this image stayed with me.

Shortly afterwards, I listened to the opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane from Mozambique, who had been forced into exile due to political persecution. He spoke of systematic oppression, of violence ranging up to the murder of political allies, and of how dangerous it can be to campaign for free and fair elections. And yet he returned in early 2025 to drive change forward. No retreat, no surrender – but an unwavering determination to keep fighting.

Amidst these impressions – the existential threat of climate change and political oppression – it became clear to me: hope is not a passive state. Hope is a choice. A choice that people make anew every day, often under conditions that we in Europe find

From delegates to friends: “Realistic to be Idealistic”

Beyond the official panels, it was the personal encounters that made this trip so special for me. In Rabat, I not only met inspiring fellow freedom fighters, but also formed genuine friendships.

It is the moments between the programme items that stay with you: conversations over meals, discussions in the hotel bar, that feeling of instantly understanding one another despite our different backgrounds. The openness, warmth and genuine hospitality showed me that true partnership does not begin on panels, but between people.

One exchange will remain particularly vivid in my memory: the conversations with Zouhair Belhadi, a young political scientist from the host PAM party. We talked about what drives us. Are we idealists or realists? In the end, a thought emerged that runs like a thread through the whole trip:
 

“Let’s be realistic to be idealistic.”

It takes courage to see the world as it is and yet never stop believing in change and driving it forward together.

The Power to Act

A concrete example of this “realistic idealism” was our pitch for an EU–AU Carbon Partnership. Together with Oskar Weiß, I presented the idea of linking European and African carbon markets via a market-based mechanism, based on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

What particularly impressed me was that an idea gave rise to questions, reactions and deeper discussions. This led to concrete considerations regarding cooperation and further development. Suddenly, it was no longer about abstract concepts, but about real opportunities for joint progress.

Why youth partnerships matter for Germany

For my political work in Germany, I take away one key insight above all: our view of Africa must change fundamentally.

The phrase “Less aid, more trade” was, for me, one of the most formative ideas of the summit. It represents a necessary shift in perspective away from outdated donor-recipient structures, towards genuine economic partnership on an equal footing.

This exchange is of particular importance for us as liberals in Germany. I was impressed by the professionalism, modern image and digital strength of parties such as Morocco’s PAM. We can and should learn a great deal from one another.

I return from Rabat with a clear conviction: the greatest challenges of our time are global, and that is precisely why our responses must also be conceived on a global scale. Our futures are intertwined.

For me, therefore, Rabat was not an end, but the beginning of something new.