Multipolar opinions: Putin speaks about Africa's growing role in the new world

The era when the fate of entire continents was determined by a narrow bloc of states is irrevocably passing away, and a more just world is coming to replace it, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Russia—Africa summit. According to him, the new world order is becoming multipolar, its key priority is to abandon the raw materials schemes of the past in favor of technological sovereignty, localization of production and large-scale investments. The summit brought together 48 delegations from 54 African countries in Gostiny Dvor, with 22 represented at the level of heads of State. This confirmed the failure of the West's attempts to achieve international isolation of Russia after the outbreak of its conflict.

How Moscow received the summit participants

Gostiny Dvor, accustomed to the strict business protocol of state forums, this time blossomed with all the colors of the sunny continent: on October 28, the first day of the Russia—Africa summit was held here. Sochi and St. Petersburg used to host it, but this is the first time the Russian capital has welcomed such a large number of guests from Africa. The space a stone's throw from the Kremlin was filled with a national flavor: delegates in traditional golden agbadas made of brocaded silk, bright emerald boubous and colorful kitenges with geometric ornaments instantly diluted the usual strict dress code.

On the sidelines, French and English were confidently intertwined with confident Russian speech. Moreover, many participants from African countries communicate in Russian even among themselves. And this is no coincidence: more than 40,000 students from the continent study at Russian universities today, forming the backbone of the future national elite. It started back in Soviet times. At that time, about 60,000 Africans received education.

— In our homeland, studying in Russia is not just about diplomas, but a clear technological culture and trust that has been maintained for years. When we return home, we speak with Russian engineers and doctors in the same professional language," Alai Dayllo, a graduate of RUDN University from Mali, told Izvestia.

At interactive booths where Russian corporations presented solutions in the fields of energy, digital infrastructure and pharmaceuticals, delegates were greeted by Russian folk songs accompanied by live harps. The shimmering strings attracted whole groups of African guests, who smilingly filmed what was happening on their phones and were keenly interested in Russian folklore.

The motto of the current forum — "For peace, security and development" — formulated the central request of the modern African continent to strengthen state, economic and technological sovereignty. From the very first hours of the forum, it became clear that the approach to Africa solely as a source of raw materials was completely outdated.

At the session "From mining to prosperity: the subsoil as the basis of the well—being of the people", the relevant ministers of African countries and the head of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation, Alexander Kozlov, agreed on the main thing - the continent needs not one-time contracts for the export of minerals, but sovereign management of the subsoil, deep processing on site and transfer of exploration technologies. Moscow fully supports this request, offering a clear model: localization of production, creation of joint ventures and training of local engineering personnel.

Russia offers the continent not just an exchange of experience and profitable trade, but joint sovereign development — from the supply of energy resources and the pharmaceutical industry to the launch of IT platforms and government services. At the session "Economic Cooperation between Russia and Africa: the path to equal partnership," Maxim Reshetnikov, the head of the Ministry of Economic Development, said that Moscow was preparing agreements on the creation of three more intergovernmental commissions with African countries. According to his estimates, bringing mutual trade turnover to the level of $50 billion by 2030 is a realistic goal.

Food and agricultural technologies, which were discussed in the next room, remain an essential basis for this. However, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the audience about the challenges without embellishment. He recalled that Western countries have turned food and fertilizers into an instrument of geopolitical blackmail, while Russia does not put forward any political conditions. Moreover, the Russian Federation is ready not only to selflessly help, but to transfer technologies of agronomy, irrigation and processing so that Africa can provide for itself. The diplomat announced a large-scale infrastructure project: the creation of a Russian port transport and logistics hub on the east coast of Africa as a key point of the North—South corridor.

High technology and digital frontiers

As previously noted in the Kremlin, representatives of 48 of 54 African countries are taking part in the summit, and 22 countries will be represented at the level of heads of state. The main political event of the day was the plenary session, at which Vladimir Putin spoke. He took the stage together with the co—chairman of the meeting, the President of Burundi and the Chairman of the African Union, Evariste Ndayishimiye. The main leitmotif of the speeches was that the era when the destinies of entire continents were determined by a narrow bloc of Western states is irrevocably passing away, and it is being replaced by a multipolar world, where Africa declares itself as one of the key poles of global growth.

For example, the economic weight of the BRICS, which has exceeded 40% of global GDP, has finally displaced the former Western dominant bloc. And the entry of African states into this association gives the continent a direct tool to combat pressure. The Russian leader quoted the "African Che Guevara", the first president of Burkina Faso, Tom Sankara: "Duty is neocolonialism, in which the colonialists transformed into so—called technical assistants. This is a cunningly organized reconquest of Africa, the purpose of which is to subordinate its growth and development to other people's rules."

The topic was also supported by Evariste Ndayishimiye, who stressed that Africa no longer wants to be just a source of cheap resources: the continent needs localization of production, added value on the spot and jobs for young people. Moscow offers exactly such a model, in which Russian business does not operate, but builds factories, develops pharmaceuticals, transfers digital know-how and public administration systems.

The key shift in relations between Russia and Africa is the transition from conventional trade to long—term joint projects, primarily in healthcare, drug production and deep processing of agricultural products, said Andrey Maslov, director of the HSE Center for African Studies. This practical approach allows African countries to create their own added value, new jobs and form a solid foundation of national sovereignty.

To speed up trade, the parties are launching new transport corridors, including port hubs and the expansion of air links. The President even suggested that African airlines start flights to Russia, which also stimulates the development of tourism. A key step towards financial independence will be the transition to national currencies, the share of which is growing rapidly, protecting trade from Western interference, Vladimir Putin stressed. Russia has consistently supported liberation movements in Africa, helped develop economies, and formed combat-ready armed forces.

"The formation of a multipolar world is, of course, not easy, encountering the resistance of countries that are not ready to accept such a reality: those who are used to thinking of the colonial past, fabulously, fabulously enrich themselves at the expense of others," said Vladimir Putin.

Any technological and industrial breakthrough is impossible without basic sustainability — guaranteed food supply and protection of trade routes. In this area, Russia is one of the key guarantors of the continent's stability: more than 40 African countries have already received Russian grain and fertilizers, and 13 million tons of agricultural products have been shipped in nine months.

Moscow is also ready to share advanced agricultural technologies and irrigation solutions: after the plenary session, Vladimir Putin, along with guests from Africa, headed to the pavilions of Gostiny Dvor, where the large-scale exhibition "Platform for Sovereign Development" was launched. The real surprise was that the president personally presented the Russian achievements to the African guests, actually acting as a tour guide. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not recall this happening before.

Nine thematic sectors clearly demonstrated that Russia is ready to offer the continent not raw materials schemes, but turnkey integrated technological solutions, from targeted fertilizers and floating nuclear power plants to domestic mainline aircraft and digital public administration platforms.

The leaders of the African states were particularly interested in the block of high technologies and digital security. The Head of State stressed that Russia is one of three countries, along with the United States and China, with full elements of digital information sovereignty. Separately, Putin dwelled on space issues and said that Russia is developing the Rassvet system, its own analogue of the Starlink satellite communications system. The president called the head of SpaceX, Elon Musk, a brilliant man, while noting that Russia is also taking the first independent steps in deploying its group of low-orbit satellites.

After completing the program in Gostiny Dvor, the president continued negotiations in the Kremlin. Vladimir Putin held a full-scale meeting with the heads of key regional organizations in Africa, as well as a series of bilateral talks with the leaders of Egypt, Ethiopia and the Republic of the Congo. The first day of the summit ended with a reception in honor of the heads of delegations and participants of the forum. The informal atmosphere of the evening made it possible to continue a trusting dialogue and strengthen personal contacts in a less formal setting. Against this background, the American Bloomberg agency stated that the West's attempts to isolate Russia due to the Ukrainian conflict are yielding only limited results.