9276355 28.10.2026 President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed, 2nd from right, during their meeting on the sidelines of the 3rd Russia–Africa Summit and Forum in Moscow.
MOSCOW (Shahid Ghumman): Important political, diplomatic and economic activities are continuing on the second and final day of the third Russia-Africa summit in the Russian capital Moscow. Delegations from 48 African countries are taking part in the two-day summit, while 22 countries are represented at head-of-state level. Russian President Vladimir Putin, mentioning the increase in trade and economic cooperation with African countries, has said that since 2022 mutual trade between Russia and Africa has grown one and a half times to exceed 27 billion dollars.
The programme of the main sessions of the summit is scheduled for Thursday 29 October at the Grand Kremlin Palace, in which President Putin, the Chairman of the African Union and President of Burundi Evariste Ndayishimiye, heads of African countries and high-level delegations will take part. The summit will discuss the global political and economic situation, international security, the formation of a multipolar world order and the future of cooperation between Russia and African countries.
The main proceedings of the summit include two plenary sessions. In the first session, addresses by President Putin, the President of Burundi and other African leaders are scheduled, while the second session will be held in the form of a working breakfast, in which heads of various African delegations will present their countries’ positions. Representatives of the African Union, the African Continental Free Trade Area and other regional organisations are also taking part in the summit.
The Russia-Africa summit began on Wednesday 28 October at Moscow’s historic Gostiny Dvor with the Economic and Humanitarian Cooperation Forum. Addressing the opening plenary session, President Putin had said that a multipolar system was taking shape in the world and African countries were playing an important role in world politics and the economy. Criticising unilateral sanctions, economic pressure and colonial-style practices, he had stressed expanding cooperation with African countries on the basis of equality, sovereignty and mutual respect.
In a meeting with the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, on the occasion of the summit, President Putin also gave details of the growing trade relations between Russia and African countries. According to the Russian President, since 2022 the total volume of mutual trade has increased one and a half times and has exceeded 27 billion dollars. He said Egypt’s share in Russia’s total trade with African countries was significant.
At the two-day forum, cooperation in various sectors including trade, investment, energy, agriculture, industry, minerals, transport, health, education and modern technology is being discussed. The programme includes more than 40 business and thematic sessions, in which representatives of Russian and African companies are discussing joint projects, investment opportunities and possibilities of further expanding economic links.
Bilateral meetings of President Putin with various African leaders are also part of the programme on the occasion of the summit. Thursday’s schedule includes meetings with the leaders of Burundi, Namibia, Kenya, Sudan, Madagascar and Zimbabwe. The agenda of these talks includes political relations, trade, investment, energy and other matters of mutual interest.
The approval of important documents and agreements is also part of the programme on the second day of the summit. According to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, 33 intergovernmental and inter-institutional documents, memoranda of understanding and trade agreements are expected to be signed as a result of the summit. These include documents related to cooperation in various economic and development sectors.
At the end of the summit, the approval of a joint declaration on Russia-Africa cooperation, a separate declaration on cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence and an action plan for the Russia-Africa partnership for 2027 to 2029 is also expected. After the signing ceremony, a joint media interaction of President Putin and the President of Burundi is scheduled, in which the outcomes of the summit will be presented.
The Russia-Africa summit was first held in 2019 in the Russian city of Sochi, while the second summit took place in St Petersburg in July 2023. The third summit under way in Moscow is being held to further promote political, economic, trade and diplomatic cooperation between Russia and African countries.
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