On October 16th, the First Russia-Africa International B2B Business Forum Expo 2024 – Made in Africa was held, organized by the Russia-Africa Club of Moscow State University, the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), the African Business Club, and the Russian Fund for Peace. The forum aimed to open new horizons for cooperation between Russia and African countries.
The forum was attended by representatives of government agencies, businesses, and state-owned companies from Russia and Africa. The forum was truly national, with representatives from Russian companies from Tula, Yaroslavl, Khabarovsk Krai, Tyumen Oblast, Mordovia, Ekaterinburg, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Kazan, Saint Petersburg, Naberezhnye Chelny, and other regions.
The forum opened with a plenary session moderated by: Louis Gouend, Chairman of the Commission for Work with African Diasporas of the Russia-Africa Club of Moscow State University, and Inna Vitalievna Andronova, Doctor of Economics, Professor, and Dean of the Faculty of Economics of RUDN. Welcoming speeches were delivered by:
– Dmitry Ilyich Suchkov, Head of the Department of Pan-African Issues and Regional Organizations of the Department of African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, who read a welcoming speech from the Director of the Department of Africa of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Anatoly Gennadievich Bashkin;
– Violetta Nikolaevna Medvedeva, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Moscow Regional Branch of the Russian Fund for Peace, who read a welcoming speech from Leonid Eduardovich Slutsky, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs.
– Andrey Georgievich Dorokhin, Head of the Department of Foreign Trade Analysis and Relations with International Organizations of the Department of Economic and International Relations of the city of Moscow.
– Alexander Fedorovich Berdnikov, Executive Secretary of the Russia-Africa Club of Moscow State University.
During the plenary session, Russian and African entrepreneurs shared their insights on how to do business in Africa and Russia, highlighting the most attractive sectors for investment and trade, as well as existing support mechanisms.
On the Russian side, the speakers were:
– Vitaly Andreevich Stepanov, General Director of ANO “Moscow Export Center”, who spoke about the cooperation of the city of Moscow with African countries and the possibilities for exporters to receive support.
– Andrey Vladimirovich Severilov, member of the Board of Directors of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Logistics and Supply Chains, and President of A7 Holding, presented an analysis of existing infrastructure and outlined key areas for optimizing freight transport.
– Yegor Alexandrovich Ivankov, Chairman of the Commission for the Development of Creative Industries within the Council for Financial, Industrial and Investment Policy of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, spoke about support measures to strengthen Russian-African cooperation.
– Marina Yuryevna Nesterenko, Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Leasing of the Council of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation on Financial, Industrial and Investment Policy and Editor-in-Chief of the magazine “Banking Business”, presented current financial instruments for trade with African countries.
– Alexey Evgenievich Podenok, President of the Moscow Entrepreneurs Association, spoke about accelerating and reducing the cost of delivering Russian export goods to East and Southern African countries using the North-South International Transport Corridor.
– Andrey Sergeevich Gromov, member of the board of directors of AREA and founder of the GR-Group consulting agency, presented new solutions in the energy sector for the comprehensive development of relations between Russia and Africa.
On the African side, the speakers were:
– Marie Caroline Ngo Tovada, General Director of Kindak Advys Sarl (Cameroon), who spoke about “MADE IN AFRICA” products and their potential attractiveness to the Russian market.
Following the plenary session, forum participants participated in the opening of trade and cultural exhibitions showcasing over ten countries from the African continent. The African product exhibition highlighted the agricultural, cosmetic, artisanal, and tourism sectors.
Then, within the framework of a roundtable, a section titled “Informal Russia-Africa Dialogue: What Can We Offer Each Other?” took place, during which Russian and African businesses presented themselves, along with their products and areas of activity.
Following this, a large number of B2B meetings took place on the sidelines of the forum between representatives of Russian and African business circles.
Several contracts for the supply of products from Africa to Russia are currently being prepared following the forum.
The event received positive feedback from participants. Plans are underway to make the forum an annual event and expand the B2B meeting program over several days.
The forum concluded with an African music concert and a screening of African cinema at the Engineers’ Corps of the Tretyakov Gallery.
Quote:
Excerpt from the speech by Anatoly Gennadievich Bashkin, Director of the Department of Africa of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, to the participants of the “Russia-Africa Expo 2024” forum:
“Russia, as a country with solid potential and sufficient expertise in various fields of the economy, modern technologies, is ready to share its achievements, knowledge, and experience with its African friends, to carry out mutually beneficial commercial interactions,” he said. “We fully support the aspirations of Africans to strengthen economic sovereignty.”
Anatoly Gennadievich Bashkin stressed that Africa is a dynamically developing region with enormous growth potential, an attractive domestic market, and expanding export potential. “In recent years, it [the African continent] has confidently strengthened its international authority, increasingly becoming known as an influential actor in world politics in one of the centers of the emerging multipolar world order,” the director of the department added.
“Given all these factors, it is quite natural that our country attaches particular importance to building long-term and mutually beneficial partnerships with Africa, with which it shares many things – from common anti-colonial struggle traditions to a common vision of many key issues of our time, and, which is very important, a commitment to shared fundamental values,” concluded Bashkin.
