Russia-Africa Partnership Forum in Sochi, Russia

The inaugural Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum will be held this weekend in Sochi, marking a new regular dialogue format following the Russia-Africa summits.

Hosted on the Sirius Federal Territory and organized by the Roscongress Foundation, the event will take place from November 9 to 10 and will feature over 40 ministers from various African countries.

A statement from the Roscongress Foundation, as cited by TASS, confirmed that the conference is expected to have a total of 1,500 participants, including ministers of foreign affairs, economy, healthcare, digital development, and education from countries such as Algeria, Angola, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda, and many others.

Senior representatives from the African Union and regional integration organizations will also attend the conference, along with figures from Russian and African businesses, finance, academia, and the media sectors. The conference will feature 19 panel discussions covering various topics, including cooperation in security, economics, skills development, digital governance, healthcare, and diplomatic training.

The agenda includes dialogues on public administration digitalization, educational partnerships, and collaborations within the Eurasian Economic Union. Bilateral consultations are also planned on the sidelines of the conference, with a joint statement anticipated on developing a fair international information security framework.

Russian presidential adviser Anton Kobyakov stated that bilateral intergovernmental commissions on trade, economic, and scientific-technical cooperation have been established with many African countries. He emphasized that the event will strengthen existing agreements and become another historic milestone in modern history.

Last month, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov announced that numerous African countries had confirmed their participation in the conference. He also noted that several countries had requested bilateral meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the ministerial event.