Story by Oleen Ndori, Foreign Editor
THE Second Russia-Africa Ministerial Meeting, held in Cairo, Egypt, is expected to give new impetus to trade, investment, and connectivity cooperation between Russia and African countries, while also setting the stage for the Third Russia-Africa Summit slated for next year.
The two-day meeting, which follows the inaugural ministerial gathering held in Sochi, Russia, was focused on strengthening trade and economic cooperation, promoting joint investment projects to support socio-economic development, and diversifying trade relations.
The engagement also seeks to enhance collaboration mechanisms that mitigate the impact of unilateral sanctions imposed by Western countries on some African states.
Host nation, Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr Badr Abdelatty and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke on the need to deepen ties in ways that spur Africa’s growth towards Agenda 2063.
“The continued political dialogue between the regional countries and their partners, chiefly among which is the Russian Federation, is the bedrock to build confidence and to arrive at common visions in the face of issues of common interest. Therefore, Egypt views the African-Russian cooperation as a main platform to support and advance the common goals on the agenda of the African Union 2063, the Africa we want. We seek to fully operationalise the African Continental Free Trade Agreement to further the efforts of regional integration and socioeconomic development for the peoples of the continent in line with their national priorities and aloof from any external dictates,” Dr Badr Abdelatty said.
“Today, we witness the second awakening of Africa, strengthening of its international standing. We support the aspiration of African friends to independently and freely choose their partners We remain a credible ally of African states when it comes to strengthening their national sovereignty in terms of policy, in terms of security, as well as in other directions, economy, energy, food, technology, digital, personnel, information sectors, building upon their own resources and national interests, and building upon the external partners that fully respect this interest. Africa has enormous agricultural resources and can meet its own food needs. We are ready to share with African friends the relevant technologies, experience, and knowledge. Since 2019, within the FAO Global Initiative to Protect Soils, a leading Russian producer of mineral fertilisers, Force Agro Company, has helped develop a regional network of African soil labs, AFRILAB. As of now, it has over 220 branches in 54 African countries,” Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
Zimbabwe, represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Professor Amon Murwira, noted that the Russia-Africa Forum plays a key role in advancing the multilateralism agenda.
“Russia is a country with more than a thousand years of history and well-developed systems of education that meet the requirements of Zimbabwe. The Forum is important to Africa as it strengthens strategic partnerships, supports economic development, and enhances Africa’s global influence. It promotes pan-Africanism, which is a keystone philosophy that advances the protection of the dignity of Africans and the whole of humanity in general. This conference represents not merely a continuation of dialogue, but the renewal of a profound historical combat. It reaffirms that the friendship between Russia and Africa was forged not only in the past, but also in the future,” he said.
Russia-Africa trade has expanded steadily in recent years, reaching over US$27 billion in 2024 in areas that include grain and agricultural products, fertilisers, energy resources, machinery, technology inputs, metals, and chemical products.
