How Russia is expanding cooperation with Africa. Analysis

Moscow is preparing to host the third Russia–Africa summit and the Economic and Humanitarian Forum, where the parties will identify new areas of cooperation in the coming years. The focus will be on settlements in national and alternative currencies, artificial intelligence, food security, energy and infrastructure. Russia and African countries are gradually expanding their cooperation from trade in raw materials and food to joint investment, technological and educational projects. The results of the meeting should consolidate the partnership's joint action plan for 2027-2029 and identify key growth points. What areas of cooperation may become the main ones in the coming years can be found in the Izvestia article.

A meeting about the future

• The third Russia–Africa Summit and the Economic and Humanitarian Forum will be held in Moscow on October 28-29, 2026. More than 30 African states have confirmed their participation in the events, and the Russian Foreign Ministry continues to work on expanding the composition of its delegations. The arrival of the President of the Transitional period of Guinea-Bissau, General Horta N'tama, has been confirmed, and the visit of the President of Chad, Mahamata Idrissa Deby Itno, is expected. Egypt and Ethiopia, which are partners of Russia and members of the BRICS, are also among the significant participants. A special place is occupied by the Sahel states, including Mali and the Central African Republic, with which Moscow is developing security cooperation. At the previous summit in St. Petersburg, 49 countries out of 54 existing on the continent were represented.

• For Russia, the platform remains a tool for developing ties with African states and promoting the idea of a multipolar world. The African partners, in turn, receive opportunities for cooperation in the energy sector, peaceful atom, digital technologies and transport infrastructure, as well as for the development of settlements in national currencies and reducing dependence on traditional payment mechanisms. In addition, the agenda includes supplies of Russian grain and fertilizers, expansion of trade, localization of business, joint projects, training of specialists in Russian universities and cooperation in the field of healthcare.

Main partners

• Russia maintains the most intensive trade relations with North Africa: the states of the region account for approximately 60% of Russia's trade turnover with the continent. By the end of 2025, the total trade volume reached $27.7 billion, an increase of about 13%. At the same time, Russia provides about a third of wheat supplies to the African market. Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and South Africa are among the main economic partners.

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• In Egypt, the Rosatom state Corporation is building the El Dabaa nuclear power plant at a cost of about $30 billion, as well as developing a Russian industrial zone near the Suez Canal. Trade with Algeria is estimated at about $3 billion, with energy and military-technical cooperation playing a significant role. By the end of 2025, South Africa increased mutual trade with Russia by 6.2% to $907.8 million.

• The African raw material base is of significant interest to Russia. Rusal has invested more than $500 million in Guinea and controls bauxite deposits and mining companies. In Zimbabwe, Russian capital participates in the work of Great Dyke Investments, which is engaged in the development of the Darwendale platinum deposit; in addition, Alrosa operates there. In Angola, where the partnership with Russia was formed back in Soviet times, the Katoka mining association, a large diamond mining enterprise with the participation of Alrosa, remained a key project for a long time.

• BRICS also plays an important role: in particular, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Africa maintain economic and diplomatic contacts with Russia within the framework of the association, and South Africa remains a significant trade partner. In the North African direction, Russia supplies grain, petroleum products, fertilizers and other goods, receiving in return, in particular, phosphates, citrus fruits, metals and agricultural products. At the same time, cooperation is gradually moving beyond the exchange of raw materials: industrial cooperation, energy projects, transport and new payment mechanisms are being discussed.

In addition to economic ties, Moscow is expanding its presence in the humanitarian and technological fields. Russian companies are involved in energy projects, African specialists are receiving education in the Russian Federation, and the parties are developing cooperation in the digital sphere and personnel training. In general, the structure of the partnership differs markedly by country: in some countries, trade and energy remain the basis, in other countries, security or mining.

Forecasts of cooperation

• The prospects for Russia's cooperation with African states in the coming years are no longer solely related to trade. The focus is shifting to investment projects, technology, and joint construction of facilities. According to analysts, by 2030, Russia's trade turnover with African countries could reach $40-50 billion. Digitalization is becoming one of the new directions: IT companies, with the support of the Ministry of Finance, are discussing the implementation of Russian solutions for e-government and the Smart City system in Ethiopia, Kenya and the Republic of the Congo. In the financial sector, Russian developers are offering technologies to connect African payment systems to Russian solutions.

• Serious plans are being formed in the energy sector. In Nigeria, Rosatom is negotiating the design of two nuclear power plants in Kogi and Akwa Ibom states, and the possible cost of the agreement is estimated at $20 billion. The Republic of the Congo has signed an agreement with Russia on the construction of the Pointe-Noir – Lutete – Maluku-Tresho oil pipeline with a length of more than 1.3 thousand km. In addition, Zambia has concluded intergovernmental agreements on the establishment of a Nuclear Science and Technology Center.

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• Special attention is paid to logistics and infrastructure: in Eritrea, the creation of a Russian logistics center in the port of Massawa on the Red Sea is being considered, which can facilitate supplies to East and Central Africa. Russian Railways has prepared projects for Algeria and Libya to restore and electrify over 1,000 km of railways with possible supplies of Transmashholding locomotives. In the agricultural sector, PhosAgro has opened an office in South Africa and increased fertilizer supplies to South Africa by 65% in the first five months of 2026. At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation is working on the creation of grain terminals and elevators in the ports of Algeria, Senegal and Tanzania, so that Russian food can be distributed more stably across the continent.

• The training of specialists remains an important part of the cooperation. The Russian government has increased the number of budget places for African students to 4.8 thousand per year (while in 2021 the quota was only 2,100 places). Currently, about 35,000 Africans study at Russian universities. The consortium of the Russia–Africa Network University includes more than 100 universities from both sides, educational programs are aimed at engineers, geologists, power engineers and doctors.