The Second Russia-Africa Summit is holding in the Russian city of St. Petersburg from today July 27 to tomorrow July 28.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will open the second Russia-Africa Summit by addressing the heads of state today at a plenary session.
Reports say only five African countries will not be represented at the summit, which is a continuation of a similar event in 2019 aimed at developing a global dialogue between the countries of the continent and Moscow.
The high rate of participation suggests Africans’ desire to strengthen ties with Russia, no matter the circumstances.
Of the 49 African governments, 17 will be represented by heads of state. Five including Nigeria are sending their vice presidents, four will be represented by heads of government, and one by a head of parliament.
Another 17 countries will be represented by deputy prime ministers or foreign ministers, and five by ambassadors.
According to Russian ambassador-at-large Oleg Ozerov many African leaders are travelling to St. Petersburg for a landmark summit in defiance of Western powers who have asserted pressure on them to snub Moscow but failed in their efforts.
In an interview with RIA Novosti released on Tuesday, Ozerov, who is also the chair of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Secretariat, accused the West of piling up “permanent” pressure on Africa in a bid to drive a wedge between the continent and Moscow.
He claimed that Western diplomats were “literally discouraging African states from traveling to Russia on a daily basis, bluntly demanding that African countries choose a camp – ‘either you are with us or you are against us.’”
As earlier stated Vice President Kashim Shettima will represent President Bola Tinubu at the summit.
Shettima, who arrived St. Petersburg yesterday from Rome, Italy, where he attended the UN Summit on Food Security, is scheduled to participate in today’s plenary and hold bilateral meetings with representatives of relevant Russian senior government officials and business leaders to discuss relations between Russia and Nigeria.
In his address in the morning session, Putin is expected to announce several Russian initiatives to help Africa with “sovereign development,” including access to food, fertilizers, modern technologies and energy.
The idea of creating a platform for Russo-African cooperation was first announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in July 2018 in Johannesburg during a meeting of the leaders of BRICS, an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
A joint declaration by Russia and African states established the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum on October 24, 2019 with a view to coordinating the development of Russian-African relations. It particularly designated the Russia–Africa Summit as its supreme body to be convened once every three years. The countries also agreed to hold annual political consultations between ministers of foreign affairs in the period between summits.
They agreed to develop political, economic, scientific, legal, climate and security cooperation, and reaffirmed their commitment to contribute to the creation of an equitable multipolar order. Forty-three African heads of state attended the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit including then Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari.
The Second Russia-Africa Summit will be held under the motto “For peace, security and development.” Taking into account the widest range of areas that cover Russian-African cooperation, it was decided to supplement the forum with a significant humanitarian component in 2023.
It is expected that the participants of the forum will focus on Russia-Africa partnership to help the continent achieve “food sovereignty,” alternatives to the grain deal, and new logistics corridors for Russian food and fertilizers; Enhancement of trade, economic, cultural, educational, scientific, and security cooperation between Russia and African states; Africa potentially joining the International North–South Transport Corridor;
Russia’s participation in African infrastructure projects; Approval of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan to 2026.
Ahead of the summit, Putin released an article titled “Russia and Africa: Joining Efforts for Peace, Progress and a Successful Future” on July 24 as a preamble to what observers say will be a “major speech” at today’s plenary session which observers said will assess the current state of the system of international relations, including in the formation of a new world order, based on the principle of multipolarity and equality of all independent states.
Putin wrote: “The partnership relations between our country and Africa have strong, deep roots and have always been distinguished by stability, trust and goodwill,^
The Russian president, who made reference to Moscow’s longstanding cooperation with the continent and large-scale assistance to African countries during the Soviet era, added:
“By the mid-1980s, with the participation of our specialists, over 330 large infrastructure and industrial facilities had been built in Africa…Tens of thousands of African doctors, technical specialists, engineers, officers and teachers have received education in Russia.”
Russian president buttressed that “the constructive, trustful, forward-looking partnership between Russia and Africa is especially significant and important” as new centers of economic and political power and influence emerge in the world. He also pointed out that the situation in the world is far from stable, given that longstanding conflicts exist in nearly every region and are deepening, while new threats and challenges are also emerging.
Putin pledged to continue food supplies to African countries despite Black Sea Grain Deal suspension. He explained that the initial purpose of the deal was to ensure global food security for the vulnerable countries of the Global South. He emphasized that the main objective of the deal wasn’t met, with 70% of Ukrainian grain ending up in high- and upper-middle-income countries, including the EU, while poor countries received less than 3% of the food supplies.
The Russian president gave assurances to African states that Russia is capable of replacing Ukrainian grain both on a commercial and free-of-charge basis. He vowed to provide supplies of grain, food products, fertilizers, and other goods to the continent.
Putin also emphasized the enhancement of Russia’s economic ties with the continent, including within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area.He outlined the necessity for further development of educational, cultural, humanitarian, sports, and mass media cooperation between African states and Russia.
The Russia-Africa Summit is expected to adopt an action plan on priority areas of cooperation until 2026.
In total, five documents are planned for signing at the summit. In addition to the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan to 2026, the participants will adopt a General Political Declaration and three documents that relate to the fight against terrorism, non-deployment of weapons in outer space, and international information security.
Now it’s evidently clear that many African countries are turning their backs on the West? But why is it happening? The reason is not far-fetched. The plundering of Africa by various imperialist countries and what’s now called the collective West, and the fact that African states has been tossed around internationally and not given the respect that any sovereign country deserves clearly explains the new African posturing. Africa simply deserves respect and it’s not getting it from the West. The African experience over centuries coupled with what it suffered from the West, and to the large extent that the Russians are playing their cards adroitly suggest why Moscow is gaining the upper hand now.
Similarly, in the eyes of many Africans, the West is no longer a unique technological, political, and military powerhouse: other centers of influence and cooperation have emerged, including Russia, China, India – the BRICS countries in general, which many states, including African ones, are striving to join.
But should the African states rely on Russia for their development? Not entirely. Africa must come together as a continent and stop relying on foreign countries for its development. However, I hope that the Second Russia-African Summit will be a fruitful, worthwhile experience and should be a serious platform for joint actions to create a new configuration of international relations based on mutual respect, cooperation, the fulcrum of a multipolar world, and not the dictates of one side.
