Africa

Our relationship with Africa

Formal connections with African countries are led by our diplomatic missions in Cairo, Addis Ababa and Pretoria. We have longstanding connections across Africa, including through common interests in the Commonwealth and the United Nations (UN).

New Zealand’s connections across Africa are diverse. Intertwined histories, shared experience, and links between our peoples, have created deep relationships with South Africa, Egypt, and others. At the same time New Zealand is building new relationships on the basis of shared interests with countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Mauritius, and Kenya.

New Zealand also engages strongly with the African Union (AU), which works to promote unity and coordination among countries on the continent. New Zealand partners with the African Union to develop and publish the African Union Handbook.

African Union Handbook

The African Union Handbook is published by the African Union Commission (AUC) in partnership with the New Zealand Government. It is intended as a ready reference guide for people working in all parts of the AU system (Member States, government officials, Commission and other staff) as well as the AU’s many partners and wider civil society.

The book has at its heart information about the principal organs established by the AU Constitutive Act and subsequent protocols: the Assembly; Executive Council; Permanent Representatives Committee; Specialised Technical Committees; Peace and Security Council; AUC; Pan-African Parliament; Economic, Social and Cultural Council; Judicial, Human Rights and Legal Organs and Bodies; Financial Institutions; and African Peer Review Mechanism.

It also contains information about the Specialised Agencies and structures, as well as regional and other arrangements, including the Regional Economic Communities, which are the pillars of the AU and work closely with its institutions. Non-governmental organisations, inter-governmental organisations and political groups are not included, except where they have a formal agreement with the AU.

The Handbook focuses on the AU’s current structures and organs, including those in the process of becoming operational. As many of the AU structures and organs are directly inherited from its predecessor, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), key details about the original OAU structures and transition to the AU are included where possible.

The Handbook project is managed by the Directorate of Information and Communication at the African Union Commission, and the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

• African Union Handbook 2023 – English [PDF 1.7 MB]
• Union Africaine Guide 2023 – Français [PDF 1.8 MB]

Trade

Africa is home to some of the world’s fastest growing economies, and already includes four of New Zealand’s top 50 export markets (Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa). Dairy makes up the majority of New Zealand exports to African countries. In addition to exports, a variety of New Zealand companies are successfully exploring service opportunities across Africa, including in education, software and mobile technology, and agriculture.

Development

The New Zealand International Development Cooperation programme’s influence in Africa is small yet valued. We focus on climate smart agriculture, renewable energy development and capacity building through scholarships.

African applicants from eligible countries can apply for scholarships under the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship Programme (MNZSP) which focus on agriculture, geothermal energy management, and trade policy. Under the MNZSP, New Zealand also offers English Language Training for Officials (ELTO) courses. 

New Zealand regularly supports the provision of essential and lifesaving humanitarian assistance in Africa. Recent contributions include responses in Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia, and supporting New Zealand NGOs to provide assistance in partnership with in-country NGOs under the NZ Disaster Response Partnership.

Find out more about the New Zealand International Development Cooperation programme in Africa