3rd Russia-Africa summit: What are the stakes?

Russia–Africa Summit organisers have placed economic cooperation at the centre of relations with African countries as Moscow seeks to deepen its strategic footprint across the continent amid an increasingly fragmented global order.

Officials at a meeting of the organising committee for the Third Russia–Africa Summit, scheduled for October 28–29, 2026, in Moscow, said preparations are now focused on securing concrete agreements in trade, investment, infrastructure, energy, technology and education.

Russian officials say the summit will focus heavily on trade, investment, infrastructure, energy, food security and technology cooperation as Moscow seeks to consolidate its influence across Africa amid growing geopolitical competition with Western countries and China.

At a recent meeting of the summit’s organising committee in Moscow, Russian authorities disclosed that preparations are underway to secure concrete economic agreements and establish new frameworks for long-term cooperation between Russia and African countries.

The summit will also feature the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, which officials say is expected to generate practical initiatives in sectors including trade, manufacturing, education, pharmaceuticals, digital services and artificial intelligence.

For Russia, the summit represents an opportunity to deepen diplomatic and commercial ties with Africa at a time when Western sanctions and geopolitical tensions have pushed Moscow to expand partnerships outside Europe and North America.

For African countries, the summit offers another avenue to diversify strategic relationships, attract investment and secure partnerships in critical sectors such as energy, mining, infrastructure and agriculture.

Yury Ushakov, aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin and chairman of the organising committee, said Russia intends to place greater emphasis on the economic dimension of its relationship with Africa.

“The Summits in 2019 and 2023 essentially provided a new impetus to Russia–Africa interaction. We now have to carry out serious and extensive work to prepare for the third Summit. It is important that we place particular emphasis on the economic dimension of our relations,” Ushakov said.

The previous Russia–Africa summits in 2019 and 2023 were seen as important milestones in Moscow’s effort to revive Soviet-era ties with African countries and expand its influence through diplomacy, security cooperation, grain exports and energy partnerships.

Analysts said the 2026 summit could further accelerate Russia’s ambitions in Africa, particularly in areas such as nuclear energy, oil and gas, mining, military cooperation and fertiliser exports.

Officials at the meeting said African countries have expressed growing interest in local manufacturing, workforce development, infrastructure projects and digital transformation partnerships with Russia.

The organising committee noted that preparations are ongoing to strengthen institutional cooperation mechanisms, expand Russia’s diplomatic footprint in Africa and establish new intergovernmental commissions.

Anton Kobyakov, adviser to the Russian president and deputy chairman of the organising committee, said organisers are targeting concrete outcomes from the summit.

“Our job for the third meeting of leaders from Russia and the African continent is to create a lasting legacy in the form of signed packages of agreements in economics, trade, investment, culture, and education,” Kobyakov said.

Georgy Borisenko, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, said African countries are increasingly interested in expanding commercial relations with Moscow.

“Contacts between Russia and African nations are intensifying at the highest levels. Our partners have repeatedly expressed a special interest in expanding trade and investment cooperation. So, the plan is for the agenda of the third Summit to be built around economic issues,” Borisenko said.

The summit is also expected to shape the next phase of Russia–Africa relations through a new action plan for the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum covering 2027–2029.

For African economies such as Nigeria, experts said the summit could open opportunities for cooperation in oil and gas development, power infrastructure, fertiliser production, food security and industrialisation.

In 2023, at the second Russia-Africa Summit in St Petersburg, Nigeria proposed a partnership with Moscow to revive the Ajaokuta Steel Mill project and the Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON), two moribund assets, the largest economy in Africa.

The Nigerian official who spoke with BusinessDay said it was to bring back Russian cooperation and partnership to resuscitate the plant that was already 94 percent complete and bring it back on board.

Organisers insist the summit will provide “significant momentum” for strengthening Russia’s strategic partnership with African countries and advancing joint initiatives within what Moscow describes as an emerging multipolar world order.