Ben was part of the EUobserver team between 2012 and 2015, primarily covering the eurozone crisis.

As part of our push for expanding our reporting into topics we feel are under-reported on from an EU perspective, Ben will be heading our coverage on how EU policy affects nations across Africa — and vice-versa.

With the continent being of increased geopolitical importance in the global game of influence (and resources), we’ll be reporting on the news that affects both blocs and the consequences thereof.

“It is a fascinating time to cover EU-Africa relations and to bring more African voices to our reporting,” Ben says. “The wars in Ukraine and Gaza and the Covid-19 pandemic have sped up the geopolitical competition for relationships and influence in Africa. China is now only one of the EU’s potential rivals on the continent. It is fascinating to see that the EU is brokering deals on critical raw materials and offering green energy investment to African states — this could be part of a broader offer to Africa from Brussels.”

Ben will predominantly be reporting from Nairobi, Kenya, and is also open for pitches from (freelance) journalists across Africa — stories with an EU connection that might not have been picked up by European media, preferably.

Our new AU-EU section is partially made possible by support from the Brussels International Center and the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements (CFFA).

If you or your organisation are interested in supporting our reporting in the section, please know that, as a non-profit, any support flows straight into our journalism. Reach out to me (at@euobserver.com) if this is of interest.