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Spain is charting a distinctly different direction from numerous Western nations when it comes to immigration strategies and cooperation with the continent of Africa.

While nations including the United States, UK, French Republic and Germany are reducing their foreign assistance funding, Spain remains committed to expanding its participation, even from a modest foundation.

Recent Developments

Currently, the Madrid has been accommodating an AU-supported "world conference on persons of African origin". The Madrid African conference will explore reparative equity and the formation of a innovative support mechanism.

This demonstrates the latest indication of how Madrid's leadership is attempting to strengthen and diversify its engagement with the continent that sits merely a short distance to the south, across the Straits of Gibraltar.

Strategic Framework

During summer Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares launched a new advisory council of prominent intellectual, international relations and arts representatives, more than half of them of African origin, to oversee the execution of the comprehensive Madrid-Africa plan that his administration unveiled at the end of last year.

Fresh consular offices south of the Sahara, and cooperative ventures in enterprise and learning are arranged.

Movement Regulation

The distinction between Spain's approach and that of different European countries is not just in expenditure but in attitude and mindset – and particularly evident than in dealing with population movement.

Similar to different EU nations, Prime Minister Madrid's chief executive is seeking methods to control the entry of unauthorized entrants.

"For us, the immigration situation is not only a question of moral principles, unity and honor, but also one of logic," the prime minister commented.

Over 45,000 individuals made the perilous sea crossing from West African coastline to the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands last year. Approximations of those who died while making the attempt vary from 1,400 to a staggering 10,460.

Effective Measures

Spain's leadership must house new arrivals, process their claims and handle their incorporation into larger population, whether temporary or more enduring.

However, in language distinctly separate from the adversarial communication that emanates from several Western administrations, the Madrid leadership frankly admits the hard economic realities on the ground in West Africa that compel individuals to risk their lives in the attempt to attain EU territory.

Furthermore, it attempts to transcend simply denying access to new arrivals. Conversely, it is creating innovative options, with a commitment to promote population flows that are secure, systematic and routine and "jointly profitable".

Economic Partnerships

While traveling to the West African nation last year, Sanchez highlighted the contribution that migrants make to the Iberian economic system.

Madrid's administration supports skill development initiatives for unemployed youth in countries such as the Senegalese Republic, notably for unauthorized persons who have been repatriated, to assist them in creating sustainable income sources in their native country.

And it has expanded a "cyclical relocation" initiative that offers West Africans short-term visas to enter Spanish territory for defined timeframes of temporary employment, mainly in agriculture, and then go back.

Strategic Importance

The core principle underlying Spain's engagement is that the Iberian nation, as the EU member state nearest to the continent, has an essential self interest in the region's development toward equitable and enduring progress, and peace and security.

This fundamental reasoning might seem evident.

Nevertheless history had taken Spain down a distinctly separate route.

Other than a limited Mediterranean outposts and a minor equatorial territory – today's independent the Gulf of Guinea country – its territorial acquisition in the historical period had mostly been oriented toward the Americas.

Future Outlook

The cultural dimension incorporates not only promotion of the Spanish language, with an expanded presence of the language promotion body, but also programmes to support the mobility of academic teachers and researchers.

Protection partnership, action on climate change, female advancement and an increased international engagement are predictable aspects in today's environment.

However, the strategy also puts notable focus it places on backing democratic principles, the African Union and, in specific, the regional West African group the West African economic bloc.

This will be welcome public encouragement for the organization, which is currently under severe pressure after witnessing its half-century celebration tainted by the departure of the desert region countries – the Sahel country, the West African state and Niger – whose ruling military juntas have chosen not to follow with its standard for political freedom and proper administration.

Concurrently, in a communication targeted as much at Madrid's domestic audience as its African collaborators, the international relations office stated "assisting the African community abroad and the struggle versus discrimination and immigrant hostility are also essential focuses".

Impressive rhetoric of course are only a first step. But in contemporary pessimistic worldwide environment such terminology really does stand out.