World
Results of the IV Forum Russia-Africa: What’s Next?
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
“The Fourth Forum “Russia-Africa: What’s Next?”, which took place from April 22 at MGIMO University of the Russian Foreign Ministry, concluded on April 25, 2025. The event confirmed its status as an authoritative platform for discussing key areas of cooperation between Russia and the countries of the African continent. This year, the Forum brought together 1,500 participants, including representatives of 41 African countries.
The business program included more than 30 events, including expert and panel discussions, round tables, creative brainstorms and other interactive sessions devoted to education, sports and space diplomacy, energy partnership, scientific cooperation, humanitarian interaction and information security. The Forum also included sessions organized jointly with the Center for Global and Strategic Studies and the Council of Young Scientists of the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the OIE Laboratory of the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the I.S. Turgenev, as well as the MGIMO Law Club.
Participants had the opportunity to exchange opinions and develop new approaches to developing relations between Russia and Africa. Particular attention was paid to the sports and cultural program, which allowed participants to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the African continent and experience its diversity and color.
On the first day of the Forum, the II Russian-African Spartakiad was held, which included sports competitions in football, volleyball, and basketball. Dozens of heads of African diplomatic missions accredited in Moscow, as well as representatives of various Russian ministries and departments, attended the grand opening of the IV Forum “Russia-Africa: What’s Next?”.
The ceremony was hosted by I.V. Tkachenko, Attaché of the Department of African States (sub-Saharan Africa) of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Executive Secretary of the Forum’s Program Committee. Russian Foreign Minister S.V. Lavrov addressed the participants with a video message. Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation A.A. Kobyakov also delivered a welcoming speech. Among the honored guests were MGIMO Rector, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences A.V. Torkunov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation M.L. Bogdanov, Russian Senator, member of the Federation Council Group for Cooperation with African Parliaments A.V. Voloshin, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs L.E. Slutsky, Honorary President of the Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences A.M. Vasiliev, Deputy Director General of ITAR-TASS M.V. Petrov, Head of the Department for Work with Government Agencies and Diplomatic Missions of African Countries, Consultant on Interaction with Africa Jose Fernando Sambo, as well as Chairman of the Council of Young Diplomats of the Russian Foreign Ministry E.M. Akopyan.
During his speech, Igor Tkachenko, together with MGIMO Rector A.V. Torkunov and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation M.L. Bogdanov, put forward the initiative to organize a Youth Day as part of the upcoming Russia-Africa summit in 2026. This proposal, aimed at strengthening intercultural dialogue and developing youth cooperation between the countries, received the support of the event participants.
Vice-Rector for Youth Policy, Social Work and International Relations Stanislav Igorevich. In his speech, Surovtsev emphasized that one of MGIMO’s main priorities is training new generation leaders who are ready to participate in implementing large-scale cooperation projects with African countries in all areas.
Stanislav Igorevich also noted that MGIMO traditionally acts in the forefront of educational partnership with Africa, relying on the rich traditions that were laid down in Soviet times and have survived to this day. Leading Russian and foreign experts took part in the Forum, including Director of the Department of Partnership with Africa of the Russian Foreign Ministry T.E. Dovgalenko, Deputy Director of the Department of International Organizations of the Russian Foreign Ministry V.E. Sergeev, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry S.S. Belousko, State Duma deputies N.V. Novichkov, D.V. Kuznetsov, I.A. Filatova, representatives of major news agencies, as well as business and scientific circles.
The headliners of the Forum were the consultant on interaction with Africa Jose Fernando Sambu, the executive chairman of the African Youth Commission Marubini Muswede and the CEO of StudEx Group Tumelo Ramaphosa. The following exhibitions were presented on the sidelines of the IV Forum “Russia-Africa: What’s Next?”: “Africa: Past and Present…”, “Chroniclers of History”, and “Explore Uganda”, organized jointly with the Moscow Financial and Law Academy, the magazine “New Regions” and the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda, respectively.
The grand opening of the exhibitions took place on April 23 with the participation of the Rector of the Moscow Financial and Law Academy A.G. Zabelin, the Vice-Rector of MGIMO S.I. Surovtsev, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Forum’s Program Committee, MGIMO analyst V.V. Zhuchkov and the Chairman of the Student Secretariat of the Forum V.G. Avetisyan.
The final event of the Forum was the Russian-African concert, which brought together talented performers from Russia and African countries on one stage. The cultural program included a variety of musical and dance numbers reflecting the rich heritage, culture and traditions of both regions.
Following the IV Forum, a number of fundamental documents were signed, including agreements on cooperation in the field of education and science with the Africa House organization and the Madagascar-Russia Brotherhood Association.
During the closing ceremony, consultant on interaction with Africa José Fernando Sambou, executive chairman of the African Youth Commission Marubini Muswede, as well as attaché of the Department of African States (Sub-Saharan Africa) I.V. Tkachenko and deputy executive secretary of the Forum’s Program Committee, MGIMO analyst V.V. Zhuchkov signed the final resolution of the Forum.
The partners of the event were the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rossotrudnichestvo, the Roscongress Foundation, the Directorate of the World Youth Festival, as well as CMR Bank, Priority 2030 and the MGIMO Endowment. The general information partner was TASS, media coverage was also provided by Russia Today and the African Initiative. IV Forum “Russia-Africa: What’s Next?” became a confirmation of the mutual interest of the parties in developing cooperation and identified promising areas for further joint work.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
For transforming cross-border payments through its deployment with Global Money Exchange, Comviva has been named Best In-Class Cross Border Payments.
The global leader in digital transformation solutions clinched this latest accolade at the IBS Intelligence Global FinTech Innovation Award 2025.
The recognition highlights how Comviva’s mobiquity Pay is helping shape a modern cross-border payment ecosystem that stretches far beyond conventional remittance services.
Deployed as a white label Wallet Platform and launched as Global Pay Oman App, it fulfils GMEC’s dual vision—positioning itself as an innovative payment service provider while digitally extending its core money transfer business.
The solution allows GMEC to offer international money transfers alongside seamless forex ordering and other services. These capabilities sit alongside a broad suite of everyday financial services, including bill and utility payments, merchant transactions, education-related payments, and other digital conveniences — all delivered through one unified experience.
“This award is a testament to Oman’s accelerating digital transformation and our commitment to reshaping how cross-border payments serve people and businesses across the Sultanate.
“By partnering with Comviva and bringing the Global Pay Oman Super App, we have moved beyond traditional remittance services to create a truly inclusive and future-ready financial ecosystem.
“This innovation is not only enhancing convenience and transparency for our customers but is also supporting Oman’s broader vision of building a digitally empowered economy,” the Managing Director at Global Money Exchange, Subromoniyan K.S, said.
Also commenting, the chief executive of Comviva, Mr Rajesh Chandiramani, said, “Cross-border payments are becoming a daily necessity, not a niche service, particularly for migrant and trade-linked economies.
“This recognition from IBS Intelligence validates our focus on building payment platforms that combine global reach with local relevance, operational resilience and a strong user experience. The deployment with Global Money Exchange Co. demonstrates how mobiquity® Pay enables financial institutions to move beyond remittances and deliver integrated digital services at scale.”
“The deployment of mobiquity Pay for GMEC showcases how scalable, API-driven digital wallet platforms can transform cross-border payments into seamless, value-rich experiences.
“By integrating remittances, bill payments, forex services, and AI-powered engagement into a unified Super App, Comviva has reimagined customer journeys and operational agility.
“This Best-in-Class Cross-border Payments award win stands as a testament to Comviva’s excellence in enabling financial institutions to compete and grow in a digitally convergent world,” the Director for Research and Digital Properties at IBS Intelligence, Nikhil Gokhale, said.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
At the end of an extensive consultation with African foreign ministers, Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has emphasized that Moscow would advance its economic engagement across Africa, admittedly outlining obstacles delaying the prompt implementation of several initiatives set forth in Strategic Action Plan (2023-2026) approved in St. Petersburg during the Russia-Africa Summit.
The second Ministerial Conference, by the Russian Foreign Ministry with support from Roscongress Foundation and the Arab Republic of Egypt, marked an important milestone towards raising bilateral investment and economic cooperation.
In Cairo, the capital city of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Lavrov read out the final resolution script, in a full-packed conference hall, and voiced strong confidence that Moscow would achieve its strategic economic goals with Africa, with support from the African Union (AU) and other Regional Economic blocs in the subsequent years. Despite the complexities posed by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, combined with geopolitical conditions inside the African continent, Moscow however reiterated its position to take serious steps in finding pragmatic prospects for mutual cooperation and improve multifaceted relations with Africa, distinctively in the different sectors: in trade, economic and investment spheres, education and culture, humanitarian and other promising areas.
The main event was the plenary session co-chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptians Abroad Bashar Abdelathi. Welcome messages from Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdelhak Sisi were read.
And broadly, the meeting participants compared notes on the most pressing issues on the international and Russian-African agendas, with a focus on the full implementation of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan for 2023-2026, approved at the second Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg in 2023.
In addition, on the sidelines of the conference, Lavrov held talks with his African counterparts, and a number of bilateral documents were signed. A thematic event was held with the participation of Russian and African relevant agencies and organizations, aimed at unlocking the potential of trilateral Russia-Egypt-Africa cooperation in trade, economic, and educational spheres.
With changing times, Africa is rapidly becoming one of the key centers of a multipolar world order. It is experiencing a second awakening. Following their long-ago political independence, African countries are increasingly insisting on respect for their sovereignty and their right to independently manage their resources and destiny. Based on these conditions, it was concluded that Moscow begins an effective and comprehensive work on preparing a new three-year Cooperation and Joint Action Plan between Russia and Africa.
Moreover, these important areas of joint practical work are already detailed in the Joint Statement, which was unanimously approved and will serve as an important guideline for future work. According to reports, the Joint Statement reflects the progress of discussions on international and regional issues, as well as matters of global significance.
Following the conference, the Joint Statement adopted reflects shared approaches to addressing challenges and a mutual commitment to strengthening multifaceted cooperation with a view to ensuring high-quality preparation for the third Russia-Africa Summit in 2026.
On December 19-20, the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum was held in Cairo, Egypt. It was held for the first time on the African continent, attended by heads and representatives of the foreign policy ministries of 52 African states and the executive bodies of eight regional integration associations.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Social media platform, TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with United States and global investors to operate its business in America.
Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, according to a memo sent by chief executive, Mr Shou Zi Chew.
The deal, which is set to close on January 22, 2026 would end years of efforts by the US government to force ByteDance to sell its US operations over national security concerns.
It is in line with a deal unveiled in September, when US President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a law that would ban the app unless it was sold.
In the memo, TikTok said the deal will enable “over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community”.
Under the agreement, ByteDance will retain 19.9 per cent of the business, while Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX will hold 15 per cent each.
Another 30.1 per cent will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, according to the memo.
The White House previously said that Oracle, which was co-founded by President Trump’s supporter Larry Ellison, will license TikTok’s recommendation algorithm as part of the deal.
The deal comes after a series of delays.
Business Post reported in April 2024 that the administration of President Joe Biden passed a law to ban the app over national security concerns, unless it was sold.
The law was set to go into effect on January 20, 2025 but was pushed back multiple times by President Trump, while his administration worked out a deal to transfer ownership.
President Trump said in September that he had spoken on the phone to China’s President Xi Jinping, who he said had given the deal the go ahead.
The platform’s future remained unclear after the leaders met face to face in October.
The app’s fate was clouded by ongoing tensions between the two nations on trade and other matters.
-
Feature/OPED6 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism9 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz3 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking7 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy3 years agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking3 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Banking3 years agoSort Codes of UBA Branches in Nigeria
-
Sports3 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn