African leaders gather in Moscow for third Russia Africa Summit

Russian officials and African leaders gathered in Moscow for the third Russia Africa Summit, according to reports from The Independent Uganda, Critical Threats, and MyJoyOnline. The Independent Uganda reported that several African presidents attended the diplomatic gathering. Russia aimed to deepen its relations with African governments and institutions during the event. [1][2][5]

African representatives pressed for a partnership that moves beyond political declarations to deliver concrete results, The Independent Uganda reported. MyJoyOnline reported that Mahama advocated for pragmatic non alignment during the summit. Meanwhile, the Daily News and Herald.co.zw reported that businesses and regional economic groups, including the Mkuyu real estate company and Comesa, sought to leverage opportunities from the gathering to foster economic growth. [1][3][4][5]

The gathering follows earlier diplomatic efforts to build bilateral cooperation between Russia and the continent. The second Russia Africa Summit took place at the Expoforum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on July 27 and July 28 in 2023. That second summit was originally scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in October 2022 before it was postponed. [6]