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Voronezh Region Representatives Prepare to Take Part in the 2nd Russia–Africa Economic Forum

As part of the development of comprehensive relations between Russia and Africa, the Government of Voronezh Region, as well as representatives of small and medium-sized businesses, held a number of events together with African partners. Thus, visits to Voronezh Region were organized for Jeanne D'Arc Mujawamariya, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Rwanda to the Russian Federation, and Johnson Agara Olwa, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Uganda to the Russian Federation, as well as an international business mission to Cairo (Arab Republic of Egypt) for representatives of Voronezh Region small and medium business. The events have taken place over the last few years.

African countries are among the promising destinations for supplies of Voronezh products. Total exports of Voronezh Region agribusiness products to Africa in 2021 amounted to more than USD 24 million.

“Voronezh Region is developing dynamically: figures in industry and agriculture confirm this. Investors, including foreign ones, are implementing projects in the region, and there is still room to invest. Voronezh Region is the region to come to. The government of Voronezh Region strictly fulfils its financial obligations in terms of available state support measures: preferential taxation, compensation for infrastructure construction costs incurred, preferential land leases, and the provision of collateral. This approach enables major Russian and foreign companies to implement large-scale investment projects in our region. The regional government provides comprehensive support and assistance to partners interested in establishing long-term cooperation,” noted Alexander Gusev, Governor of Voronezh Region.

Voronezh Region is planning to take part in the 2nd Russia–Africa Economic Forum to be held in St. Petersburg in July 2023.

For more information about the Forum and Summit, go to their official website summitafrica.ru

“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