Côte d’Ivoire’s Malta Envoy Joins Africa’s New Power Circle as AEGC Global Board Advisor.

By Raymond Enoch.

The African Economic Global Convergence (AEGC) has moved to deepen its strategic footprint between Europe and the African continent with the appointment of His Excellency Ambassador Marquis Anthony C. Coleiro, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire in Malta, as Global Board Advisor to the AEGC Summit.

According to a press release dated 18 November 2025, issued by the Consulate of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire in Malta, the honorary diplomat’s elevation is seen as a decisive step in positioning Malta as a serious bridge for Africa–Europe economic diplomacy and high-level investment dialogue.

For many outside diplomatic and business circles, Malta is often perceived as a scenic Mediterranean gate-way rather than a strategic node in Africa’s transformation story. The AEGC’s decision to draw Marquis Coleiro into its inner advisory circle is changing that narrative, projecting the island state as an emerging hub where global capital, policy innovation and African ambition can intersect.

Marquis Anthony C. Coleiro is widely regarded within Malta’s diplomatic community as a seasoned and well-connected figure, with a profile that extends beyond protocol into substantive multilateral engagement. His new role as Global Board Advisor is far from symbolic. It assigns him a central position in shaping AEGC’s long-term frameworks for Africa–Europe cooperation, investment partnerships and diplomatic architecture.

The AEGC Summit itself has, in recent years, grown into a powerful pan-African platform advancing sustainable development, innovation, leadership and strategic partnerships. Its 2025 edition was staged in New York, on the margins of the 80th United Nations General Assembly, with deliberations hosted at The Yale Club in partnership with African Heads of State, UN Missions and top-tier private-sector leaders.

The New York gathering attracted Heads of State and Ministers from more than ten African countries, including the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Botswana, Malawi, Mali, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Uganda, Nigeria and the State of the African Diaspora, among others from Europe and beyond. Also in attendance were globally recognised figures such as Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, Lady Cherie Blair, Dr. Kandeh Yumkella and H.E. First Lady Fatima Maada Bio, alongside major institutional and investment actors linked to firms like BlackRock, Rockefeller, NewOak Capital and other influential private-sector delegations. Over 300 government delegates, innovators and global change-makers participated, reinforcing AEGC’s aspiration to serve as more than another conference brand, but as a serious convening power for Africa’s next chapter.

The appointment of Marquis Coleiro comes at a pivotal moment, as AEGC prepares for its next major edition: AEGC Malta 2026. That summit will be hosted in the Republic of Malta and is already viewed, in policy and business circles, as a strategic milestone in co-shaping Africa’s development future through trusted global partnerships. For Malta, it will be a test of its ability to function as a true bridge state — one that connects African political leadership and European institutions with the global private sector and innovation ecosystems.

In his new capacity, Honorary Consul Coleiro will guide the long-range frameworks for Africa–Europe cooperation curated through the AEGC platform. His responsibility extends to reinforcing the diplomatic architecture and strategic vision that will underpin AEGC Malta 2026, strengthening AEGC’s credibility across diplomatic, investment and development networks, and contributing to legacy initiatives that may include future bilateral representations and enhanced Malta–Africa engagement beyond the summit.

Reacting to his appointment, Hon. Consul Marquis Anthony C. Coleiro conveyed profound gratitude and underscored the strategic weight of the role, framing it as both an honour and a responsibility toward a more equitable global order. “I am deeply honoured by this appointment and thankful to the AEGC leadership for their trust. I look forward to contributing to stronger Africa–Europe cooperation and to supporting Malta’s role as a bridge for dialogue, innovation, and sustainable development,” he said.

His statement speaks to a wider ambition shared by many African and European partners: to shift the relationship from a traditional donor-recipient mindset to one built on co-creation, mutual benefit and shared prosperity. In this evolving narrative, platforms like AEGC and personalities like Coleiro play the role of translators between worlds — bringing together political vision, financial muscle and developmental priorities.

AEGC Convener, Mr. McEva Temofe, welcomed the appointment with visible enthusiasm, describing it as a timely boost to the organisation’s strategic direction. He stressed that Marquis Coleiro’s leadership and diplomatic experience would be key in shaping what he called “a new narrative for Africa’s global integration, prosperity, and strategic convergence.” Beneath that phrase lies a clear intent: Africa seeks not just to participate in, but to help define the rules of, the next phase of globalisation.

For Paradigm News International, the significance of this appointment goes beyond an individual accolade. It reflects three deeper shifts: the emergence of new European nodes such as Malta in Africa’s diplomacy and investment story; the fusion of diplomatic channels with serious private capital and development actors; and the growing recognition that how Africa tells its story — the narrative of convergence, innovation and partnership — is now as important as macroeconomic figures and investment indices.

As the countdown to AEGC Malta 2026 begins, critical questions will shape the months ahead. Which African Heads of State will anchor the summit’s political heft? What level of investment commitments, strategic alliances and policy frameworks will emerge from the Malta edition? And can the island, with its compact size but growing diplomatic ambition, convert this opportunity into long-term gains for Africa–Europe relations and Africa’s wider global integration?

What is already clear is that the elevation of Marquis Anthony C. Coleiro to Global Board Advisor of the AEGC Summit marks more than a ceremonial gesture. It signals a recalibration of the geography and architecture of Africa’s diplomacy — and positions Malta as a surprising, but increasingly significant, stage on which part of Africa’s economic future will be scripted.