The report covers Africa’s position in the global economy, the current state of Russian-African trade relations, and major trends in their development.

Russia has shown increasing interest in the African continent. In his address to Forum participants, Russian President Vladimir Putin drew attention to the special importance of progress in collaboration between the countries and positive experience in developing joint projects.

“Trade, investment, and industrial integration between Russia and Africa are growing swiftly. This is evidenced by an upward trend in economic indicators and the great interest shown in the Russia–Africa Economic Forum, which will bring together more than 3,000 representatives of the African business community, Russian company heads, and leading international experts. Russia thinks the outlook for collaboration with African partners is great and is ready to share new solutions and technologies with them for the development of industry and human capital”, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation Anton Kobyakov said.

According to the FCS, Russian and African trade turnover in 2018 increased by 17% over 2017 and amounted to USD 20.4 billion. Russia exported goods worth USD 17.5 billion, which is 18.1% higher than the previous of the year.

In the process of strengthening economic ties, Russia and other partners must take into account the whole range of new trends in African development.

Although most African countries continue to depend on the extraction and export of raw materials, Africa’s leading development institutions are seeking to increase manufacturing’s contribution to GDP. An influx of foreign direct investment into the region will be crucial for accelerating industrialization and sustainable development. For this reason, many African countries are currently carrying out active reforms and creating a favourable regulatory environment for doing business.

Business opportunities in Africa will be front and centre at the upcoming Economic Forum. The event will include a plenary session, a series of round tables and panel discussions, and the organization of a major venue for business meetings.

More information on the Forum programme is available on the official event website and the event page in the ROSCONGRESS.ORG Information and Analytical System.

The Russia–Africa Summit and Economic Forum will take place on 23–24 October in Sochi at the Sirius Park of Science and Art. The events are being organized by the Roscongress Foundation, and the co-organizers of the Russia–Africa Economic Forum are Russian Export Center and Afreximbank.

For a more detailed version of the Russia–Africa Economic Forum programme, please visit: https://summitafrica.ru/en/programm/

Reference:

The Roscongress Foundation is a socially oriented non-financial development institution and a major organizer of international conventions, exhibitions, and public events.

The Roscongress Foundation was founded in 2007 with the aim of facilitating the development of Russia’s economic potential, promoting its national interests, and strengthening the country’s image. One of the roles of the Foundation is to comprehensively evaluate, analyse, and cover issues on the Russian and global economic agendas. It also offers administrative services, provides promotional support for business projects and attracting investment, and helps foster social entrepreneurship and charitable initiatives.

Each year, the Foundation’s events draw participants from 206 countries and territories, with more than 15,000 media representatives working on-site at Roscongress’ various venues. The Foundation benefits from analytical and professional expertise provided by more than 2,500 people working in Russia and abroad. In addition, it works in close cooperation with economic partners from 94 countries worldwide.

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