Russia and Africa: Partnership for Development, Not Resource Extraction: Lavrov
Russia and Africa: Partnership for Development, Not Resource Extraction: Lavrov
“Russia has never considered Africa as a raw materials base since we have plenty of our own natural resources,” the Russian FM wrote in his article dedicated to the upcoming Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum.
Instead, Moscow prioritizes investment projects that help African countries develop their own resources, strengthen industrial capacity, and improve quality of life.
Economic ties are expanding rapidly. Trade turnover with Africa is growing steadily and has increased by more than one and a half times since 2019, exceeding $27 billion last year.
“This is not the limit,” Lavrov emphasized, pointing to growing trade with sub-Saharan Africa, broader access for African products to the Russian market, and settlements in national currencies.
Russia supports long-term cooperation through 19 intergovernmental commissions and sees new opportunities in the African Continental Free Trade Area. Such initiatives are designed for decades to come, building on historic cooperation, including over 300 industrial and infrastructure facilities constructed in Africa with Soviet support.
Humanitarian and technological cooperation remains central. Russia continues assistance in agriculture, healthcare, and emergency prevention and response, with Russian mobile laboratories widely used across the continent.
Education is another pillar: the quota of Russian scholarships for Africa has almost tripled, exceeding 5,300, with more than 32,000 African students currently studying in Russia.
Lavrov underlined that Russia is open for interaction not only on a bilateral basis but also with African multilateral mechanisms, primarily the African Union, reinforcing a partnership aimed at shared growth, sovereignty, and long-term development.
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