Set for November 9-10, the inaugural Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum will bring together leaders from across Africa and Russia to strengthen ties in trade, security, education, and regional collaboration. The event builds on the 2023 Russia-Africa Summit, with high expectations for actionable outcomes to deepen the partnership.
Organized by the Roscongress Foundation, the event will focus on implementing decisions made at the summit while enhancing collaboration between Russia and African nations across various sectors, including politics, security, economics, science, technology, culture, and humanitarian affairs.
Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the Russian President, emphasized the significance of this initiative, stating, “The Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum is an important initiative that aims to intensify comprehensive cooperation between Russia and African countries in all its dimensions.” He noted the importance of the declaration adopted at the summit, which established a new dialogue format that will meet regularly to discuss the implementation of agreements with African countries. Kobyakov expressed confidence that the conference in Sochi will be a crucial step toward strengthening Russia-Africa cooperation.
The conference will convene key representatives from both regions, including African ministers, leaders of integration associations, and delegates from Russian and African businesses, government agencies, financial institutions, and academia. Key discussion points will include enhancing trade and economic cooperation, fostering investment partnerships, collaborating in education and science, and addressing security and regional cooperation.
Additionally, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will engage in a series of bilateral meetings with his African counterparts to discuss various aspects of bilateral relations and pertinent international and regional issues.
The conference follows high-level consultations initiated by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with expectations of active participation from Egyptian officials at the ministerial level.
The intensive discussions planned for the conference are expected to yield significant results, further building Russian-African cooperation and enhancing the standing of African nations on the global stage.
In advance of the conference, Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian President’s Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa, met with heads of African diplomatic missions in Moscow to outline the conference agenda and discuss key organizational and technical matters. This meeting included representatives from 54 African nations and leaders from regional integration organizations such as the African Union, the Southern African Development Community, and the Economic Community of West African States.
