THIRD RUSSIA–AFRICA SUMMIT AND OTHER RUSSIA–AFRICA EVENTS

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Third Russia–Africa Summit and other Russia–Africa events set for Moscow in autumn 2026

By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 194 dated 25 March 2026, the 3rd Russia–Africa Summit and related events in the Russia–Africa format will take place in Moscow. An Organizing Committee will be formed to oversee preparations and execution. Aide to the President of the Russian Federation Yury Ushakov is appointed as its Chair, with the full membership to be approved soon.

Participants will include heads of state and government, representatives from African ministries and agencies, regional associations and organizations, business leaders, experts, and academics. Preparations for the summit were addressed by Russian and African foreign ministers at the Second Russia–Africa Ministerial Conference in Cairo, Egypt, last December.

At the Second Russia–Africa Summit in 2023, leaders of participating states endorsed a declaration charting strategic priorities for sustained Russia–Africa cooperation. They also agreed to convene the summit every three years.

“The Russia–Africa Summit and related events this autumn aim to bolster comprehensive ties between the Russian Federation and African states, while establishing fresh frameworks for bilateral and multilateral collaboration. These gatherings will feature a thorough review of all facets of Russian-African relations and set long-term priorities for joint efforts in politics, security, economics, science, technology, culture, and humanitarian cooperation. They seek to advance strategic partnerships with African counterparts, grounded in mutual respect, balanced interests, and concrete benefits for our nations’ peoples,” emphasized Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation.

The Third Russia–Africa Summit and related events aim to achieve several key objectives: bolstering high-level political dialogue; coordinating on security and responses to modern challenges/threats; advancing trade, economic ties, investments, energy, infrastructure, and agriculture; deepening cultural/humanitarian connections and education; and promoting collaborative science, technology, and innovation initiatives.

The Third Russia–Africa Summit is expected to see the signing of new intergovernmental and interagency agreements spanning trade, economics, investment, science, technology, culture, and humanitarian cooperation.

The inaugural Russia–Africa Summit and Economic Forum took place in Sochi in October 2019, co-chaired by the President of the Russian Federation and then-African Union Chair, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The second edition, along with the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, was held in St. Petersburg in July 2023. The Сo-Сhairs were President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Chairman of the African Union, President of the Union of the Comoros Azali Assoumani.

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“We highly value the results of our joint work at the summit. I am sure the achieved results are creating a good foundation for further deepening the Russia-Africa partnership in the interests of our nations’ prosperity and wellbeing.”

President of the Russian Federation
Vladimir Putin

The Russia–Africa Summit, which is taking place in Sochi on 23–24 October 2019, encapsulates the historically friendly relations between the African continent and the Russian Federation. This Summit carries great significance as it is the first of its kind to emerge during a period of major global and international transformations. In response to the aspirations of the people it is representing, the Summit intends to build a comprehensive framework for expanding Russian–African relations into broader horizons of joint cooperation across different fields.

The African nations and Russia share a common understanding of international relations, based on the principles of respect for the rule of international law, equality, non-interference in the internal affairs of states, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. Both sides affirm their commitment to support multilateral actions to oppose new international threats, be they terrorism and extremism in all their forms, or declining growth rates. The two sides share a firm conviction regarding the importance of developing trade flows and supporting mutual investment in such a way as to ensure security, peace and development for the African and Russian people.

African countries have huge potential and opportunities that will allow them, once efforts to streamline their economies have been achieved, to emerge as real global players. In recent years, the nations of this continent have achieved major successes spanning the political, economic, social and administrative spheres. Africa has flourished in terms of growth over the past decade, reaching a continent-wide growth rate of 3.55% in 2018.

The African Union Summit, which was held in Niger in July 2019, continued the efforts of the African countries and saw the African Continental Free Trade Agreement come into force, along with its operational instruments. The agreement is one of the key objectives of Agenda 2063, an African development strategy that has been created to address the African people’s desire for prosperity and decent living standards.

These successes are opening up wide-ranging prospects for cooperation between African countries and the Russian Federation, and confirm the determination of African governments and their people to cooperate with multiple partners in order to establish mutually beneficial relations.

With this in mind, we express our hopes that the Russia–Africa Summit will help in the establishment of constructive strategic relations, based on partnership between two sides across various fields, and in the service of fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the African people and their friends in Russia.

President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Abdelfattah ALSISI