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Spain is charting a distinctly different path from many European countries when it comes to immigration strategies and relations toward the African continent.

Although countries like the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany are reducing their international support allocations, Madrid remains committed to enhancing its participation, albeit from a modest foundation.

Recent Developments

Recently, the capital city has been welcoming an AU-supported "world conference on persons of African origin". The African diaspora summit will examine restorative justice and the establishment of a new development fund.

This constitutes the most recent sign of how Spain's socialist-led government is seeking to deepen and diversify its engagement with the region that sits merely a brief span to the southern direction, across the Straits of Gibraltar.

Policy Structure

This past summer External Affairs Minister the Spanish diplomat launched a new advisory council of prominent intellectual, international relations and cultural figures, over 50 percent of them from Africa, to monitor the implementation of the detailed Spain-Africa strategy that his leadership published at the close of the prior year.

Fresh consular offices in sub-Saharan regions, and collaborations in business and academic are arranged.

Migration Management

The difference between Spain's approach and that of different European countries is not just in funding but in attitude and mindset – and nowhere more so than in dealing with population movement.

Similar to different EU nations, Government Leader the Spanish premier is exploring approaches to contain the arrival of irregular arrivals.

"In our view, the movement dynamic is not only a issue of humanitarian values, mutual support and honor, but also one of reason," the administration head said.

More than 45,000 persons undertook the dangerous ocean journey from West African coastline to the overseas region of the Canaries recently. Calculations of those who lost their lives while making the attempt vary from 1,400 to a staggering 10,460.

Practical Solutions

Spain's leadership needs to shelter fresh migrants, process their claims and oversee their integration into larger population, whether transient or more long-lasting.

Nevertheless, in language distinctly separate from the hostile messaging that comes from several Western administrations, the Madrid leadership publicly recognizes the difficult financial circumstances on the territory in West Africa that compel individuals to risk their lives in the attempt to attain Europe.

Additionally, it strives to transcend simply refusing entry to incoming migrants. Instead, it is creating innovative options, with a pledge to foster movements of people that are secure, organized and regular and "jointly profitable".

Economic Partnerships

During his visit to the West African nation recently, the Spanish leader highlighted the input that migrants contribute to the national finances.

The Spanish government supports skill development initiatives for unemployed youth in nations including Senegal, particularly for undocumented individuals who have been sent back, to help them develop viable new livelihoods in their homeland.

And it has expanded a "circular migration" programme that provides individuals from West Africa short-term visas to enter Spanish territory for limited periods of seasonal work, primarily in farming, and then return.

Geopolitical Relevance

The core principle underlying the Spanish approach is that the Iberian nation, as the EU member state nearest to the region, has an essential self interest in Africa's progress toward comprehensive and lasting growth, and stability and safety.

This fundamental reasoning might seem obvious.

However the past had directed the Spanish nation down a distinctly separate route.

Other than a few Maghreb footholds and a compact tropical possession – today's independent Equatorial Guinea – its territorial acquisition in the 16th and 17th Centuries had mainly been directed toward the Americas.

Future Outlook

The cultural dimension incorporates not only promotion of the Spanish language, with an enhanced representation of the Cervantes Institute, but also initiatives to support the mobility of academic teachers and investigators.

Security co-operation, action on climate change, gender equality and an expanded diplomatic presence are unsurprising components in today's environment.

Nonetheless, the strategy also lays very public stress it assigns to supporting democratic ideas, the continental organization and, in specific, the West African regional organization Ecowas.

This represents positive official support for the entity, which is currently under severe pressure after seeing its 50th anniversary year marred by the departure of the Sahelian states – Burkina Faso, the West African state and the Sahel territory – whose controlling military regimes have refused to comply with its standard for political freedom and good governance.

Concurrently, in a statement aimed similarly at the national citizenry as its African collaborators, the external affairs department declared "supporting the African diaspora and the battle against prejudice and xenophobia are also crucial objectives".

Eloquent statements of course are only a first step. But in today's sour international climate such terminology really does distinguish itself.