News

The full lineup of business programme sessions and speakers has now been published for the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, scheduled for 28–29 October in Moscow, on the official Russia–Africa events website. The main theme of the Forum is ‘Developing Mutually Beneficial Cooperation and Unlocking the Potential of Every African Country Together’. Included in the programme are more than 40 thematic sessions and panel discussions as part of which some 100 speakers will set out to tackle the major issues facing cooperation between Russia and Africa in trade, investment, industry, technology transfer, food and energy security, digitalization, healthcare, education, science, media, and youth exchange programmes, with the highlight of the Forum business programme coming in the plenary session. The Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum seeks to harness the momentum created by Russia and Africa’s partnership and identify promising areas for its continued development.

“This Forum is traditionally held during the Russia–Africa Summit to create the conditions necessary for these strategically important economic relations between Russia and Africa to flourish and diversify in form and nature. The Forum will not go unnoticed by the President of the Russian Federation and his African counterparts. Industry, trade, investment, technology transfer, food and energy security, digitalization, healthcare, education and science, media, and youth exchange programmes are just some of the areas we are working together in. The Forum will yet again provide a place for government officials, international organizations, and members of the business, scientific, and expert communities in Russia and Africa to meet and further deepen ties between their countries in the interests of the prosperity and well-being of us all,” Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation and Deputy Chairman and Executive Secretary of Third Russia–Africa Summit and Events Organizing Committee Anton Kobyakov said.

The business programme of the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum has been organized around four main areas under the banners of ‘Sovereignty: The Foundation of Sustainable Development’, ‘The Economy of a Sovereign World Order’, ‘Cooperation in Society and Human Capital’, and ‘Technology and Innovation for a Better Quality of Life’.

Participants of the section dedicated to ‘Sovereignty: The Foundation of Sustainable Development’ will discuss the opportunities and potential threats arising from information, communications, and digital technologies, effective strategies for countering neocolonialism in the 21st century, the ways integrated Russian technologies could bring greater stability to Africa, and modern tools available for the fight against epidemics. Sessions will be attended by Minister of Public Health and AIDS Control of the Republic of Burundi Fidele Nkezabahizi, Head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing and Chief State Sanitary Physician of the Russian Federation Anna Popova, President of the National Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters of Burkina Faso Arouna Ouedraogo, Director of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Irina Abramova, and Director of the Virome Scientific Research Institute of Viral Infections of Rospotrebnadzor Alexander Semyonov among others.

Sessions of ‘The Economy of a Sovereign World Order’ will focus on the development of economic cooperation in Africa and the role of individual integration associations, interaction in the sphere of transport, the contribution of state audit to sustainable economic growth, and the outlook for collaboration in the agro-industrial complex. Participants will also discuss the involvement of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in certain African countries and how BRICS is serving to catalyze business relations between Russia and Africa. The sessions will be attended by Minister for Employment, Labour and Job Creation of the Republic of Ghana Emmanuel Agyekum, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation of the Central African Republic Gontran Djono-Ahaba, Minister of Transport and Aviation of the Republic of Sierra Leone Alhaji Fanday Turay, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Andrey Nikitin, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation and Special Representative for International Cooperation in the Field of Transport Igor Levitin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Ryabkov, State Secretary – Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Roman Chekushov, Chairman of the Russia–South Africa Business Council and Renova Group Board of Directors Viktor Vekselberg, President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights under the President of the Russian Federation Alexander Shokhin, Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community Elias Mpedi Magosi, President of the Russian Association of Fertilizer Producers Andrey Guryev, and President of the Confederation Bank for Investment and Development of the Sahel States Alliance Balibie Serge Auguste Bayala among other government officials and representatives of state corporations.

Sessions of the ‘Cooperation in Society and Human Capital’ block are dedicated to the importance of a healthy Africa to sustainable development, demographic stability, economic growth, better quality of life, Russia’s partnership with Africa in education and science, issues of interaction between non-profit organizations, and international development assistance. Particular attention will be paid to the ways women can help build trust and contribute to cooperation on a global scale, with sessions likewise set to address the transfer of best educational technologies in general, secondary vocational, and continuing education. Session participants will include Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Konstantin Mogilevsky, State Secretary – Deputy Minister of Health of the Russian Federation Oleg Salagay, Chairman of the Council of the Eurasian Women’s Forum under the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Galina Karelova, General Director of the State Hermitage Museum and President of the Union of Russian Museums Mikhail Piotrovsky, Chairperson of the Kenya National Committee at the International Council of Museums Betty Karanja, and Minister of the Government of Moscow and Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow Sergey Cheremin, among other representatives of the humanitarian sphere.

Sessions of the ‘Technology and Innovation for a Better Quality of Life’ block will tackle issues related to the development and application of artificial intelligence in Africa, space technologies, the application of technological solutions to more effective water resource management, and practical approaches to improving access to clean water in Africa, with particular attention to the Russia–Africa energy dialogue, the outlook for the development and application of nuclear technologies in Africa, and cooperation between Russia and Africa on land restoration and drought resilience. Session participants will include Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum Philip Mshelbila, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation Alexander Kozlov, Minister of Energy and Water Resources Development of the Central African Republic Opportune Edwige Pouninguinza, President of the Global Energy Association Sergey Brilev, First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank Alexander Vedyakhin, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation and Special Presidential Representative on Climate and Water Resources Issues Ruslan Edelgeriyev, First Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Maxim Kolesnikov, First Deputy General Director of Innopraktika Natalya Popova, and First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Marina Kim among others.

To help African countries realize their full potential, the Forum will be hosting a Sovereign Development Platform Exhibition, which will seek to demonstrate how solutions from different sectors, organized into nine thematic areas, can be integrated into a single national development chain. Forum partners will be on hand to show off their lighthouse projects, share cutting-edge technologies in key economic sectors, and use specific examples from ongoing projects to show how Russia is contributing to the development of Africa. There will also be discussions on how to expand cooperation between Russia and Africa in the transfer of skills and technology, innovative solutions, digital ecosystems and financial infrastructure, and food and energy security and presentations of joint cultural initiatives.

The thematic areas of the Sovereign Development Platform are ‘Water and Food Security’, ‘Secure, Affordable Energy’, ‘Information and Artificial Intelligence’, ‘Finance for Development and Investment’, ‘Biosecurity, Healthcare, and Education’, ‘The Digitalization of Healthcare and Education’, ‘Connectivity and Logistics’, ‘Governance and Services’, ‘Municipal Services, Trade, and Tourism’, and ‘Autonomous Systems’.

The leaders of Africa’s media landscape will take part in the Russia–Africa Media Forum as part of the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, with session topics ranging from different strategies for sharing desirable narratives and countering attempts by foreign media to influence politics in Russia and Africa and the media resources that can be used to combat disinformation and strengthen Russia and Africa’s image abroad to a new understanding of the challenges that have arisen together with modern media. Media Forum participants will also consider the outlook for development in Africa and its relations with Russia in light of the legacy of the great political figures of the past who laid the foundations for the struggle for true sovereignty.

The Russia–Africa Youth Forum, which provides a unique opportunity to promote cooperation between Russia and Africa and harness the momentum created by Russia and Africa’s partnership and identify promising areas for its continued development, is being held at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Forum events seek to engage Russian and African youth in dialogue, popularize African studies in Russia, and improve Russia’s image on the continent. The programme will be attended by Russian and African officials and important members of the business and expert communities, development institutions, and media.

Also being held as part of the Youth Forum are the 5th Russia–Africa: What’s Next? Forum and the 2nd Forum of Young Diplomats, first held in the spring of 2025 on the sidelines of the 4th Russia–Africa: What’s Next? Forum with the support of the Council of Young Diplomats of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Partners of the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum:

• Title Partner – Rosatom
• Title Partner – Rosoboronexport
• General Partner – A7
• General Partner – Evrazia
• Strategic Partner – Rosseti
• Strategic Research Partner – The Kurchatov Institute
• Media Partner – MAER
• Networking Area Partners: VTB Bank, Synergy Corporation, PhosAgro