The first Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum will be held in Sochi, Russia, from November 9 to 10, 2024, building on the success of the Second Russia-Africa Summit held in 2023. The event, organized by the Roscongress Foundation, aims to implement decisions made at the summit and strengthen cooperation between Russia and African nations across various sectors. These include politics, security, economics, science, technology, culture, and humanitarian affairs. "The Ministerial Conference of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum is an important initiative that aims to intensify comprehensive cooperation between Russia and African countries in all its dimensions," said Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the Russian President. Kobyakov stressed the importance of the declaration adopted at the Russia-Africa Summit, which established a new dialogue format. This format will meet regularly to exchange views on ways to implement the agreements reached with the countries of the African continent. "We firmly believe that the Ministerial Conference in Sochi will be an important step in developing cooperation between Russia and Africa," he added. The conference will bring together key figures from both Russia and Africa. This includes heads of relevant African ministries and integration associations, representatives of Russian and African businesses, government agencies, financial institutions, public and scientific circles, as well as leading Russian and foreign experts and media representatives. Discussions will focus on key areas of cooperation, including the development of trade and economic cooperation, investment partnership, joint work in education and science, strengthening security and regional cooperation, and the expansion of cooperation between BRICS and African countries. The conference will also see a series of bilateral meetings between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his counterparts from African nations. These meetings will address the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation and key issues on the international and regional agenda. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi of Egypt chaired the initial high-level consultations with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Similar active engagement from Egyptian counterparts at the ministerial level is anticipated. The intensive work anticipated at the conference is expected to yield significant and tangible results that will contribute substantially to building Russian-African cooperation and enhancing the standing of African nations on the international stage. In preparation for the conference, Special Representative of the Russian President for the Middle East and Africa and Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov held a meeting at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the heads of diplomatic missions from African states accredited in Moscow. During the meeting, representatives of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the African diplomatic corps about the conference programme, as well as its key organizational, technical, and protocol issues. The meeting was attended by representatives from 54 African countries, as well as the heads of regional and subregional integration associations, including the African Union, the Southern African Development Community, the Economic Community of West African States, and others.
