Africa represents a crucial challenge for Europe, not just for historico-political reasons and geographical proximity, but because it shares Europe's major concerns for the future: from the use of its natural resources to the need of a sustainable socio-economic growth, from the definition of a new governance along the North-South and East-West energy axis to the complex issue related to the migratory flows. 

FEEM aims at catalyzing ideas on African challenges by implementing activities such as study and research, partnerships, networking, and knowledge dissemination initiatives through national and international events on Africa and in Africa, in collaboration with national, European and African universities, institutions and research centres.  

Moreover, by focusing some of its activities on the African continent, FEEM sets an ambitious goal that will have long-term effects: to lay the groundwork for strengthening the African academic system - particularly in the sub-Saharan region - and to connect local universities and research centres with international scientific development programs and opportunities already in place and in progress, through research activities and specific actions.

Within the framework of its activities carried out in Africa, FEEM enters into a partnership with the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A). The Center is an autonomous non-for profit international organization, which became operational on July 2016. The purpose of the Centers is to provide technical support, neutral advice and expertise as input to national governments, private sector, civil society, academic institutions to accelerate the implementation of the SDG agenda across Africa. African leaders want to ensure that they act together in pursuit of a shared African development vision. They also want to ensure that Africa will have its right position in the global forum with all the other actors responsible for the global conversation and actions related to the SDGs.