Russia has pledged to deepen its economic partnership with African countries through increased investment technology transfer and capacity building in strategic sectors including energy agriculture artificial intelligence (AI) food security and digital infrastructure. The Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Presidential Executive Office Dr Maxim Oreshkin made the commitment at the Russia-Africa Forum Partners Hub meeting in Moscow ahead of the third Russia-Africa Summit scheduled for October 28 and 29.
Oreshkin said Moscow was seeking long-term partnerships to strengthen African economies promote national sovereignty develop local industries and unlock the continent’s economic potential through mutually beneficial projects. He explained that Russia’s proposed cooperation would extend beyond infrastructure construction to include workforce development local manufacturing knowledge transfer and greater participation by African companies in strategic investments.
According to him sustainable economic partnerships must reflect the priorities cultural realities and development aspirations of participating countries rather than rely on externally imposed solutions. He maintained that this approach would enable African countries to build productive capacity strengthen technological expertise and gain greater economic benefits from their natural and human resources. Oreshkin said Russia remained committed to expanding trade and investment relations with Africa despite the challenges arising from Western sanctions against Moscow.
He identified Africa and South Asia as key regions in Russia’s efforts to diversify its international economic relationships expressing confidence that stronger cooperation could open new markets attract investment and help solve shared development challenges. On energy development Oreshkin described access to affordable reliable electricity as fundamental to industrialisation digital transformation and improved living standards. ‘Affordable and reliable energy are the foundation of industrialisation digitisation and a higher quality of life which Russia has’ he said.
He said Russia was prepared to work with African governments and relevant institutions to develop long-term energy strategies tailored to their resources infrastructure and growing electricity demand. He explained that the proposed partnerships would cover conventional energy sources liquefied natural gas hydropower renewable energy and nuclear power with an emphasis on building local expertise and supporting domestic industries.
Oreshkin stressed that energy cooperation should not be limited to delivering standalone infrastructure projects but should also strengthen national institutions develop skilled personnel and create opportunities for local companies. He cited Russia’s involvement in Egypt’s nuclear power development valued at approximately $25 billion as an example of an investment model that includes infrastructure construction workforce training scientific research and related industries including nuclear medicine.
Highlighting Africa’s persistent electricity deficit he noted that about 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa still lacked access to electricity. He said addressing the challenge would require sustained investment in generation transmission and distribution infrastructure to support industrial development economic growth and access to essential services. Turning to agriculture and food security Oreshkin advocated comprehensive cooperation to increase agricultural productivity improve fisheries and livestock production and strengthen logistics and supply chains.
He said Russia was willing to share agricultural technologies and expertise in crop cultivation livestock management and the application of mineral fertilisers to help African countries increase domestic food production. He added that Russian businesses were also interested in investing in Africa’s agricultural sector through joint ventures and partnerships that would support local production processing and international trade. Beyond helping African countries increase production Oreshkin identified significant opportunities for expanding agricultural exports to the Russian market. He listed fruits nuts vegetables coffee cocoa tea spices vegetable oils oilseeds fish and seafood among products African countries could supply to Russia.
Citing figures from his address he said Russia’s food imports were valued at about $43 billion in 2025 with African countries accounting for about eight per cent of the market. He said the relatively small share indicated opportunities for African producers to increase their presence through improved productivity stronger supply chains and investment partnerships with Russian companies. Oreshkin maintained that Russia was prepared to support balanced agricultural trade arrangements that would provide greater market access for African products while strengthening food security and domestic agricultural industries.
He also identified effective water-resource management as a key component of agricultural development saying Russian technologies could help African countries identify water resources monitor water quality and improve their use for farming and other productive activities. On artificial intelligence and digital technology the Russian official called for partnerships that would enable African countries to develop technological solutions that reflect their languages cultures and historical experiences.
He cited Yandex a Russian technology company and its AI assistant Alice as examples of locally adapted digital technologies capable of responding to specific linguistic and cultural needs. He said similar innovations could be developed across Africa through collaboration among domestic technology companies universities researchers and other specialists. Oreshkin also emphasised digital sovereignty arguing that African countries should strengthen their capacity to manage national data information systems and digital platforms. He warned that excessive reliance on foreign-owned technological platforms could expose countries to economic vulnerabilities including the transfer of valuable data and digital revenues beyond their jurisdictions.
He said Russia was willing to collaborate with African partners to develop domestic digital capabilities improve cybersecurity and train professionals equipped to manage emerging technologies. The Russian official reiterated that knowledge transfer local participation and developing skilled personnel should remain central to cooperation across sectors. However African participants at the meeting stressed that the success of the proposed partnerships would depend largely on their ability to deliver practical benefits particularly in education youth development and institutional capacity building.
Speaking during the discussions the Chancellor of the University of Limpopo and former Chairperson of the African Union Commission Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma urged Russia to place greater emphasis on developing the skills and capabilities of Africa’s young population. She said youth empowerment and capacity building were essential to preparing the continent’s future workforce to participate meaningfully in economic transformation and emerging industries. Dlamini-Zuma maintained that Africa could realise its development ambitions only if young people had relevant knowledge technical expertise and opportunities to contribute to productive economic activities. She therefore called for stronger educational and professional development programmes within the proposed Russia-Africa cooperation framework.
Similarly Kaduna University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Abdullahi Musa called for a clear action plan to translate commitments into measurable development outcomes. Musa argued that education must be central to the partnership particularly to advance cooperation in agriculture artificial intelligence human rights and security. ‘If we are to move forward in terms of agriculture artificial intelligence human rights and security you have to prioritise education’ he said.
He expressed concern that the proposed areas of cooperation did not sufficiently address the role of universities and other educational institutions in driving research innovation and skills development. ‘You have not mentioned the role of education and the part universities can play in line with global development plan’ he added. Musa stressed that meaningful technological cooperation would require sustained collaboration among universities research institutions industries and governments to build the expertise needed to implement agreed projects. He maintained that educational institutions should be directly involved in designing and executing programmes relating to agriculture digital technology security and other development priorities.
The meeting also featured a panel discussion on developing cooperation in the modern era with participants examining new platforms and approaches for strengthening economic and institutional relationships between Russia and African countries. Discussions centred on expanding investment opportunities promoting technology transfer strengthening institutional collaboration and developing practical mechanisms to implement proposed agreements.
While Russia outlined opportunities for deeper engagement across key sectors African participants stressed the need to ensure these partnerships move beyond diplomatic declarations and deliver measurable economic and social benefits. As the third Russia-Africa Summit approaches attention is expected to focus on whether the proposed cooperation can produce concrete investment commitments and strengthen local productive capacity and create sustainable opportunities for Africa’s growing population. The broader challenge for both sides will be to establish partnerships that not only expand trade and investment but also strengthen African institutions develop domestic expertise and support long-term economic transformation.