European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks to officials during a tour of the Pasteur Institute vaccination and testing facility, in Dakar, Senegal, February 9, 2022. [Reuters]
The EU will welcome more than 40 African leaders to Brussels on Thursday in an effort to reassert its influence on a continent where China and Russia have made hefty investment inroads, and where many felt let down by Europe's Covid-19 vaccines rollout.