Personal web office

Second Summit
Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum

News

Russia–Africa Forum programme published: speakers to discuss the development of relations in an era of global change

As part of the business programme of the Second Russia–Africa Summit and Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, representatives from the relevant Russian ministries, Russian and African business leaders, and international relations experts will discuss the challenges facing Russia and African countries in an era of global change, and will talk about the most pressing issues and ways of resolving them to encourage the development of Russian–African relations in the economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres. The Forum’s business programme consists of four large topic areas covering all spheres of cooperation between Russia and the African continent: The New Global Economy, Integrated Security and Sovereign Development, Cooperation in Science and Technology, The Humanitarian and Social Sphere: Working Together for a New Quality of Life.

“The Second Russia–Africa Summit and Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum is set to become a unique platform for direct dialogue between business, government, and representatives of the creative and cultural communities of Russia and Africa. I am confident that in the foreseeable future, all the Forum events will lead to a strengthening of the ties between our regions and to effective cooperation,” said Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation, Executive Secretary of the Organizing Committee for Russia–Africa Events.

One of the main events of The New Global Economy block will be a panel discussion: Doing Business in Africa: Risks, Market Conditions, Opportunities. The speakers will tackle the issues of expanding business cooperation between Russia and African countries, and will talk about export potential in the face of the new challenges, as well as the programmes and projects currently underway in Africa. Taking part in the discussion will be Mikhail Aronson, Deputy General Director, Zyfra, Georgy Smirnov, General Director, Nordgold Management, and others. The session will be moderated by Alexander Shokhin, President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

The key event of the Integrated Security and Sovereign Development block will be a panel discussion: Russia and Africa: Partnership for Food Sovereignty. Africa is known to be the world’s most food-insecure region. How can Russia help Africa develop agricultural infrastructure? How can uninterrupted supplies of Russian mineral fertilizers and agricultural machinery be maintained, and how can the political risks involved in paying for their import be eliminated?These questions will be answered by speakers at the Russia and Africa: Partnership for Food Sovereignty panel discussion. Taking part in the discussion will be Andrey Guryev, President, Russian Association of Fertilizer Producers (RAFP), Konstantin Babkin, President of the New Commonwealth Industrial Union, and others. The discussion will be moderated by Oleg Ozerov, Ambassador at Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

The problems of transitioning to fully-fledged sovereign development will be discussed at a panel discussion entitled New World Order: From the Legacy of Colonialism to Sovereignty and Development, forming part of The Humanitarian and Social Sphere: Working Together for a New Quality of Life block. The discussion will be moderated by Irina Abramova, Director of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for African Studies, and taking part will be Mikhail Lipkin, Director of the Russia Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World History, Rasigan Maharajh, Chief Director, Institute for Economic Research on Innovation, Tshwane University of Technology, and others. 

The potential for cooperation between Russia and African countries in the field of advanced technological solutions will be unlocked by speakers at a session entitled Cutting-Edge Technologies for Africa’s Sustainable Development, to be held as part of the Cooperation in Science and Technology block. The panel discussion will be moderated by Andrey Maslov, Director of the HSE Centre for African Studies. Taking part in the discussion will be Pavel Sorokin, First Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, Anton Butmanov, Director for Sustainable Development, EN+ Group, Sergey Machekhin, Deputy General Director, Project Engineering and International Cooperation, RusHydro, and others.

Other events being held at the venues of the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum include the Media Forum, Meeting of University Rectors, Roundtable attended by Russian and African Supreme Audit Institutions, Youth Programme events and much more.

Organizer of the Second Russia–Africa Summit and Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum – the Roscongress Foundation.

 

Event website: summitafrica.ru

All news
Russia and Africa Expanding Cooperation
Roscongress Foundation Awarded Silver Archer Grand Prix
Roscongress Foundation and the African Energy Chamber signed a Cooperation Agreement
TASS opens photo exhibition dedicated to Russia-Africa Summit
The EAEU Member States’ Business Mission to African Countries Will Take Place with Support from Russia’s Leading Industry Organizations
All news

“We highly value the results of our joint work at the summit. I am sure the achieved results are creating a good foundation for further deepening the Russia-Africa partnership in the interests of our nations’ prosperity and wellbeing.”

President of the Russian Federation
Vladimir Putin

The Russia–Africa Summit, which is taking place in Sochi on 23–24 October 2019, encapsulates the historically friendly relations between the African continent and the Russian Federation. This Summit carries great significance as it is the first of its kind to emerge during a period of major global and international transformations. In response to the aspirations of the people it is representing, the Summit intends to build a comprehensive framework for expanding Russian–African relations into broader horizons of joint cooperation across different fields.

The African nations and Russia share a common understanding of international relations, based on the principles of respect for the rule of international law, equality, non-interference in the internal affairs of states, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. Both sides affirm their commitment to support multilateral actions to oppose new international threats, be they terrorism and extremism in all their forms, or declining growth rates. The two sides share a firm conviction regarding the importance of developing trade flows and supporting mutual investment in such a way as to ensure security, peace and development for the African and Russian people.

African countries have huge potential and opportunities that will allow them, once efforts to streamline their economies have been achieved, to emerge as real global players. In recent years, the nations of this continent have achieved major successes spanning the political, economic, social and administrative spheres. Africa has flourished in terms of growth over the past decade, reaching a continent-wide growth rate of 3.55% in 2018.

The African Union Summit, which was held in Niger in July 2019, continued the efforts of the African countries and saw the African Continental Free Trade Agreement come into force, along with its operational instruments. The agreement is one of the key objectives of Agenda 2063, an African development strategy that has been created to address the African people’s desire for prosperity and decent living standards.

These successes are opening up wide-ranging prospects for cooperation between African countries and the Russian Federation, and confirm the determination of African governments and their people to cooperate with multiple partners in order to establish mutually beneficial relations.

With this in mind, we express our hopes that the Russia–Africa Summit will help in the establishment of constructive strategic relations, based on partnership between two sides across various fields, and in the service of fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the African people and their friends in Russia.

President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Abdelfattah ALSISI