EU offers Africa almost $2bn in aid to stem migrant flow and keep Africans in Africa.

The fund worth almost US$2 billion was announced at the end of a two-day summit of EU and African leaders in Malta. The resource will seek to aid in poverty alleviation programmes, slow down the influx of refugees and boost repatriation initiatives. This money will be in addition to the EU’s annual €20 billion collective donations to Africa.

This is not the first time that the EU has attempted to address the migrant flow problem.

“We are under no illusions that we can improve the situation overnight, but we are committed to giving people alternatives to risking their lives,” said European Council President Donald Tusk.

Malta, situated in the Mediterranean Sea 90 kilometres south of Sicily, has become one of the destinations for refugees fleeing the war in Syria. The island country’s leader, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, said that the establishment of the funds is an important step towards a long-term solution to the problem.

Despite the fact that Africa receives billions of dollars in humanitarian aid every year, a 2014 report showed that the continent loses more money than it actually receives.

Credit: thisisafrica.me