The Russia-Africa summit has opened in Moscow at Gostiny Dvor. On the first day, a plenary session of the economic and humanitarian forum was held with the participation of Vladimir Putin and the President of Burundi, current Chairperson of the African Union, Evariste Ndayishimiye. The cultural program with African drums set to "Valenki" gave way to the business agenda: projects in energy, mining, infrastructure and trade were discussed.
Speaking before representatives of dozens of countries, Putin said that the multipolar world is becoming a reality, that this is objective and irreversible. The era when the fate of entire continents was determined by a narrow circle of states is receding into the past. In a fairer world, the voices of all countries must be heard. Among the new centers of global governance, he singled out BRICS, which already accounts for more than 40 percent of world GDP, while the Group of Seven accounts for less than 30. The president expressed confidence that the gap will widen.
Africa's influence and authority on the world stage are growing. It is the continent of the future: 12 of the world's 20 fastest-growing economies are located there. At the same time, it was Russia that consistently supported the liberation movement of African peoples and helped in the economy and in strengthening defense capabilities. "In fact, we together, together with you, jointly created the prerequisites for the formation of a fair multipolar world," Putin stressed.
However, countries accustomed to benefiting at others' expense are resisting this. "Any means are being used, the most unsightly and cynical, including tariff wars, illegitimate sanctions, economic diktat, blackmail and interference in internal affairs," the Russian leader listed. The West is trying to drive Africa back into debt bondage by imposing financial resources on unfavorable terms, he continued. And he recalled that the first president of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara, back in 1987 called debt a form of neocolonialism. Little has changed since then.
Putin stressed that in modern conditions sovereignty is necessary not only territorial but also technological. Russia chose such a course long ago and in a number of areas offers world-class developments. "Competitors have to catch up with us, copy... We firmly hold leading positions in the global race for technological sovereignty," the president stressed. He drew attention to the need to adapt international financial institutions to the needs of developing countries, including changes in the activities of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Russian companies are entering African markets. Moreover, business contributes to the development of transport infrastructure, agriculture and technology, and does not engage, in Putin's words, in predatory exploitation of natural resources. Africa, the president indicated, needs long-term investment in energy, industry, transport and logistics, and new jobs. Putin expressed confidence that in the very near future mutual trade turnover will surpass the 50 billion dollar mark.
Russia is participating in the implementation of more than 30 energy projects in 16 African countries. RusHydro is ready to help build and service hydraulic structures. The common task is to provide the continent's population with access to inexpensive energy sources, the president stressed. Settlements in national currencies will protect cooperation from external interference. Some states still use European financial systems, which limits their sovereignty, Putin noted. And he invited African airlines to launch flights to Russia.
Interaction in medicine, sports and emergency response must be deepened, the president believes. He mentioned the work of Russian doctors on the continent and expressed readiness to expand cooperation. In particular, Russia intends to localize the production of medicines and vaccines in Africa and to open laboratories and diagnostic centers. Progress is already noticeable in education: the number of African students in Russian universities has increased by one and a half times, and scholarships by almost three times. In addition, Russia has put forward an initiative to create a joint youth union.
Evariste Ndayishimiye, speaking after President Putin, called on Russian companies to act more actively in energy, agribusiness, industry, infrastructure and technology. Russia's scientific and energy potential is also important in trade, financing and improving payment systems. The Chairperson of the African Union expressed hope that concrete agreements would be concluded at the summit and projects launched that would bring great benefit. The action plan for 2027-2029 should become a practical guideline. This framework document will determine the main directions of further comprehensive cooperation.
"We wanted to make this forum more democratic. More accessible and more substantive, more targeted in terms of drawing the attention of all participants in this process and all participants in our meetings to what we consider the key, main directions of development - both for the whole world, and for Russia, and for African countries," the Russian president said at the end of the session.
Even before the plenary session, Rosatom signed a memorandum on cooperation with Togo and offered African partners floating nuclear power plants. Novatek is ready to share liquefied natural gas technology and LNG itself, and Rosgeologia reported the imminent completion of work on the text of an agreement with Niger on hydrocarbon and solid mineral exploration, including gold. Mali is providing Russian companies with guarantees of investment protection, an agreement was reached with Mozambique on road projects, and Egypt is studying the possibility of creating a food hub.
RusHydro already works with 11 African countries, and the PhosAgro holding supplied 1.3 million tonnes of fertilizer to the continent in the nine months of this year - one and a half times more than in all of 2025. Russian-African cooperation is expanding rapidly.
After the plenary session, Putin invited African leaders to the exhibition "Platform for Sovereign Development." Russian solutions in energy, medicine, finance, logistics and artificial intelligence are presented at nine thematic venues. The president spoke about the Moscow digital medicine system, which makes it possible to transmit research results from clinics to a single center and promptly return conclusions to doctors. According to him, this speeds up diagnosis and reduces costs. Russian technologies in Africa were also discussed: the Yango service operates in 16 countries of the continent, where 150 million taxi rides have been made with its help since the beginning of the year. More than 15 million Africans regularly use Yandex services.
Russia also demonstrated the capabilities of its domestic pharmaceuticals: more than 70 percent of essential medicines are produced inside the country. Putin stressed readiness to share medical achievements with African partners. Other areas of cooperation include training cybersecurity specialists and protection against biological threats.