Russia on Saturday opened the first Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum in the city of Sochi, seeking to deepen ties with African nations and dispel the notion that it is isolated by Western sanctions. The conference is expected to draw 1,500 participants, including more than 40 ministers of foreign affairs, economy, healthcare, digital development and education from the African continent. Countries represented include Algeria, Angola, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda, and others, according to a Roscongress statement. Senior representatives from the African Union and regional integration organisations will also attend, alongside figures from Russian and African businesses, finance, academia and media sectors. The conference will feature 19 panel discussions covering cooperation in security, economics, skills development, digital governance, healthcare and diplomatic training. The conference is billed as building on last summer's Russia-Africa summit, where Russian President Vladimir Putin courted leaders from Africa and offered to expand political and business ties. The two-day ministerial conference, which is attended by government and business leaders from Russia and Africa, will continue in the same format regularly, said Anton Kobyakov, an adviser to Putin. "We have established bilateral intergovernmental commissions on trade, economic, and scientific-technical cooperation with many [African] countries," Kobyakov said. The event "will strengthen our agreements and become another historic milestone in modern history," he added. "Strengthening economic ties with Russia and with the countries of the World Majority can radically change the economic and political balance with Western countries in favour of Africans. Obviously, the next 10 years will be marked by a sharp struggle for Africa, a struggle against the colonial heritage," Kobyakov said.
