World
Sochi Summit Expected to Open Russia’s Door to Africa
By Kester Kenn Klomegah
As Sochi, a Russian city located on the Black Sea coast, prepares to host African leaders, experts have been discussing the possible outcome of this first high-level event in the history of Russian-African relations, with the heads of all states of the African continent invited, as well as leaders of major sub-regional associations and organisations attending. According to official sources here, the summit on October 24 will play special attention to the current state and prospects of Russia’s relations with African countries and to the expansion of the political, economic, technical and cultural cooperation.
The agenda includes a wide range of issues on the international agenda, including joint response to new challenges and threats, and strengthening of the regional stability. At the end of the meeting, the participants are scheduled to adopt a political declaration on the key areas of Russian-African cooperation.
Ahead of summit, to be co-chaired by President Vladimir Putin of Russia and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who also heads the African Union, IDN’s Kester Kenn Klomegah talked to Dr. Gideon Shoo, media consultant and business lobbyist based in Kilimanjaro Region in Tanzania. Dr. Shoo explained in this interview what Russian investors and other participants can expect from the African political leaders and corporate business heads from the public and private sectors in Africa. Following are excerpts from the interview:
Africa Beyond Aid! What should African leaders do in order to raise mutual cooperation with Russia? Let us look at this question on the reverse side, from the African side?
African leaders must strive to understand their counterparts in Russia. They need to understand the political system in Russia, and at least, the economic policies and interests. At the same time, they need to demonstrate what they can do in terms of helping Russia overcome some of the economic hitches as a result of sanctions imposed on her by the United States and the European Union. They should engage in “a scratch my back I scratch yours” relationship given the fact that Russia is advanced in technology which is badly needed in Africa.
Russia has a number of bilateral agreements, at least during the past decade, that were largely not implemented in many African countries. In your view, what mechanisms be fixed to deliver on pledges and promises?
This is quite an important aspect of Russia-African relationship. Bilateral agreements need to be revised and schedules of implementation be drawn wherever possible. Russia needs to go back to those years when it committed itself to help Africa get out of neocolonial cobweb by assisting in crucial and important areas such as education, public health and engineering. That was partly done through offering higher and specialized education as one way of development assistance to the continent.
Of course, priority spheres include energy, oil & gas, infrastructure etc., but what kinds of state support be offered Russian companies and enterprises to operate effectively in Africa?
Russian companies need to prove their superiority in the sector mentioned above. The companies should show how African countries are going to benefit. African governments must make it easier for Russian companies to set up and operate in their countries. Russian financial institutions can offer credit support that will allow them to localize their production in Africa’s industrial zones, especially southern and eastern African regions that show some stability and have good investment and business incentives. In order to operate more effectively, Russians have to risk by investing, recognize the importance of cooperation on key investment issues and to work closely on the challenges and opportunities on the continent.
Of course, Russians have been trying to return there over the past few years, which is a very commendable step forward. There are prospects for greater or broader foreign players. Until potential Russian investors make a decision to pay more high-level attention to Africa, it is difficult to see greater engagement at the economic or business level. In practical sense, it requires to move beyond mere expression of interests, it needs strategic focus and pragmatic approach from both Russians and African governments.
According to official figures, Russia-African trade currently stands at US$17.8 billion. Could trade preferences help potential African exporters (make it a two-way road) also to explore the Russian market?
Russia is, so far, a closed market to many African countries. It is difficult to access the Russian market. There are no direct flights to most African capitals, and it makes Russia not a common destination even to the Vasco da Gamas of Africa. While tropical fruits and vegetables are rotting in Africa, the Russian market is yawning because of sanctions. Why not work out a two-way traffic between Africa and Russia? African countries have to look to new emerging markets for export products, make efforts to negotiate for access to these markets. This can be another aspect of the economic cooperation and great business opportunity for both regions.
Talking about Russia’s presence in Africa and Africa’s presence in Russia. Understandably, much also depends on the interest of African businesspeople; but what should be done to stimulate or boost potential African exporters’ interest in Russia?
Visits. Visits. Visits. But, how can this be achieved if there are no direct affordable flights? Can Africa and Russia establish links through joint ventures including those in aviation? Yes, I think and believe it is possible. Can Africa, especially south of the Sahara be a tourist destination for Russians and vice versa? Yes, it is possible. For instance, tourism can primarily help to broaden cultural horizons, breaking stereotypes and attitudes.
Developing tourism is one way to promote business and raise knowledge of diverse culture in Africa. By looking at the rules and regulations, the situation about Russia’s presence in Africa and Africa’s presence in Russia can be changed. Russia and Africa have to make efforts for raising the level of trade and business in both regions.
Sochi summit holds the key to all these questions you have so far discussed above. Can these, among others and in reality, mark a definitive start of a new dawn in the Russia-African relations?
In the first place, Russians and Africans have to look at this positively. It will offer participants the opportunity to engage in dialogue, receive up-to-date information on the current trends, challenges and prospects of investment activities as well as networking for business contacts. It is also important that African leaders determine and set their development priorities.
I believe Sochi can turn out to be a new chapter in Russia-Africa cooperation, it all depends on how serious all participants are in seeing it happen. The gathering has to offer the expected fruits, leave a long-term and sustainable impact and memories among the participants. Sochi, indeed, should open the door to Africa.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
One year after launching a continental initiative designed to make excellence in public governance the foundation of a new drive to transform Africa, LEAD, the Africa CEO Forum’s pan-African leadership programme, takes stock of its first cohort and announces the launch of its second class. Built around a community of senior public decision-makers committed to modernising the state and to the continent’s digital transformation, this new cohort gathers for three days, from 28 to 30 August 2026, on the campus of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Rabat, Morocco.
A second cohort that confirms the programme’s durability
For its second class, LEAD brings together 50 fellows, senior public decision-makers engaged in the design and implementation of the continent’s economic and social policies. Over three days, participants take part in collective and collaborative working sessions, peer exchanges and meetings with figures from the public, business and academic spheres, in order to compare their practices and build shared responses to the major challenges of governance.
Speakers include Mehdi Jomaa, former Head of Government of Tunisia, Donald Kaberuka, Managing Partner & Founder, SouthBridge Group, and former President of the African Development Bank, Serge Ekue, President of the West African Development Bank (BOAD), Sanjay Jain, co-creator of India Stack and Director of Digital Public Infrastructure, Gates Foundation, and Mauricio Cardenas, Professor of Professional Practice in Global Leadership, Columbia SIPA, and former Finance Minister of Colombia (2012-2018).
They share their reform experience, their public policy trade-offs and their view of continental priorities. Throughout the programme, the cohort benefits from the dedicated support of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Asafo & Co, BOAD, BCG and the African Development Bank, LEAD partners that have chosen to invest in the transformation of African public action.
LEAD, a pan-African community serving public action
Created by the AFRICA CEO FORUM, LEAD is a leadership programme whose ambition is to reposition Africa’s administrative elite as a driver of reform, of performance and of dialogue with all the continent’s stakeholders.
Designed for senior African public decision-makers, LEAD sets out to build a lasting community of public officials able to share their experience, compare their practices and build common solutions to the major economic, technological and institutional transformations under way in Africa. That community is structured around three pillars: modernizing the state, improving public services, and strengthening cooperation between governments, development institutions and private-sector players.
From fellows to alumni: a long-term initiative
Made up of 36 fellows drawn from a range of administrations and institutions and representing 24 countries across the continent, LEAD’s first cohort demonstrated the quality and the potential of this community from its very first year. In less than twelve months, six of its members have taken a significant step forward: two have been appointed ministers, two have moved into strategic positions at the highest level of the state and two have been promoted to chief executive roles. These moves, which account for 16.7% of the first class, show the role LEAD plays as an accelerator of impact within African administrations.
By bringing together a new cohort of fellows every year, each of them joining the LEAD alumni community, the initiative follows a long-term trajectory: in time, to unite several hundred African public decision-makers around a shared culture of transparency, performance and regional cooperation.
A first year devoted to public service and digital public infrastructure
Throughout the year, the fellows devoted their work to strengthening African public action, to make excellence in public governance a central lever of transformation. An awareness campaign, run as part of Africa Public Service Day, brought to light those who, within the continent’s administrations and institutions, are concretely transforming public policy and improving the services offered to citizens.
Members of the cohort also took part in a special round table held in Kigali during the ACF 2026, in order to carry their thinking to a wider community of public and private leaders. That forum reinforced LEAD’s role as a platform for dialogue between the administrative elite and the continent’s economic players. Digital public infrastructure (DPI) formed the main thread of this first year of work.
Discussions covered issues at the heart of the digital sovereignty of African states: digital identity, payments, secure data exchange, interoperability, governance and the protection of citizens. This work examined the conditions under which African states are developing, in some cases, and can develop, in others, shared, open infrastructure robust enough to improve the quality of public services while supporting local innovation and preserving the capacity of public authorities to set the rules of the game.
A white paper to move from consuming technology to creating value
This year of work concludes with the publication, in collaboration with BCG, LEAD’s Knowledge Partner, of a white paper on Africa’s place in the digital economy and in artificial intelligence. With the digital economy still accounting for around 5% of African GDP, against close to 15% worldwide, the paper calls on the continent to shift from a logic of technology consumption to one of value creation.
The white paper identifies three structuring priorities for African public actors:
- Building shared digital infrastructure that serves as the backbone of public services and private innovation.
- Pooling investment in order to reach critical mass and avoid the fragmentation of efforts across the continent.
- Favouring open and interoperable architectures, with trust and governance built in by design, so as to protect citizens while stimulating the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The white paper is available here to all public decision-makers, technical partners and institutions concerned.
“LEAD’s first cohort confirms a simple conviction: Africa already has the women and men capable of profoundly transforming public action. Our responsibility, either with our partners, is to give them, at pan-African level, a space in which to compare experience, build common solutions and bring forward a new generation of public policy. With this second cohort, we want to accelerate the move from ambition to execution, in particular on digital public infrastructure and artificial intelligence, two decisive issues for sovereignty, for the effectiveness of the state and for value creation across the continent,” says Amir Ben Yahmed, President of the Africa CEO Forum.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
Africa is set to make history as it hosts the World Public Summit for the first time, with Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, welcoming global leaders and changemakers from July 29–30, 2026, for the landmark gathering under the theme “New World: Africa in Shaping a Shared Future.”
The inaugural African edition of the World Public Summit marks a significant milestone in the continent’s growing role in shaping international dialogue on governance, sustainable development, human-centred leadership and global cooperation.
Hosted by the World Peoples Assembly in partnership with African and international organisations, the summit will convene government officials, diplomats, business leaders, academics, journalists, youth representatives, civil society organisations and cultural leaders from across Africa and around the world.
According to Andrey Belyaninov, General Secretary of the World Peoples Assembly, “the Summit is not just a meeting—it is a space for unity. A space where the ‘values that unite us’ come to life: respect for people, openness to the world, responsibility for the future, and a commitment to creation.
“Today, we understand more clearly than ever: the future cannot be built alone. It is born in dialogue, in trust, in the ability to listen to one another and to act together.”
The programme begins on July 29 with a series of high-level roundtables and expert discussions covering Pan-African economic integration, civil society, education, scientific cooperation, cultural diplomacy and humanitarian partnerships.
The opening plenary, “Values, Development and Partnership as the Basis of a Sustainable and Just World,” will explore how African values—including Ubuntu—can help shape a more inclusive and sustainable global future. Discussions will also focus on youth leadership, innovation, civil society, ethical AI, public initiatives and international partnerships.
The summit will also showcase Africa’s creativity and innovation through the “Innovations for the Future” exhibition, the contemporary African art exhibition “Unity,” and the international exhibition “The World Paints Happiness.”
Another featured initiative is “The Zambezi River: Economy, Society, Soul,” an international interdisciplinary project exploring the river’s socioeconomic importance across Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, highlighting the shared heritage and development potential of one of Africa’s most important waterways.
The event will conclude with the adoption of the African Communiqué, reflecting the summit’s shared vision for stronger international cooperation, sustainable development and people-centred leadership.
Tsegaye Chama, General Secretary of the Global Black Centre, promised that, “The Summit will be delivered with exceptional distinction, reflecting the magnitude and spirit of the World Peoples Assembly. It embodies a unity that is not transactional, but purposeful and conscious, a unity that shapes new contours for a world that works for all peoples of the World.”
As delegates prepare to arrive in Addis Ababa, anticipation continues to build for what promises to be one of Africa’s most significant international gatherings of 2026—one that will place the continent firmly at the centre of global conversations about the future.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria regained its position as Africa’s leading destination for equity startup investment in the first half of 2026, raising $214 million in equity financing and a total of $254 million across equity and debt, according to the latest Africa: The Big Deal report.
The report, titled H1 2026: Mapping the Money, showed that Nigeria ranked second on the continent in total funding, behind Egypt, which attracted $327 million, while Kenya and South Africa followed with $126 million and $83 million, respectively.
However, the report noted that Egypt’s top position was largely driven by a single fundraising by electric mobility company Spiro, which secured $327 million, including $270 million in equity and $57 million in debt. Excluding debt financing, Nigeria emerged as Africa’s largest equity funding market in the first six months of the year.
According to the breakdown by Africa: The Big Deal, Nigeria’s equity funding of $214 million was higher than Egypt’s $183 million, while South Africa and Kenya attracted $66 million and $46 million, respectively.
Beyond funding value, Nigeria also led the continent in the number of startups that raised at least $100,000 during the review period, reclaiming the top spot after what the report described as an “underwhelming” second half of 2025.
The publication observed that Nigeria’s fundraising performance has remained relatively stable over the past few years and exceeded the $250 million mark for the first time since 2022, pointing to renewed investor confidence in the country’s startup ecosystem.
It also found that while the Big Four startup markets—Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya and South Africa—continued to dominate Africa’s investment landscape, their combined share of total funding stood at 58 per cent in the first half of 2026.
“Zooming back on the Big Four (110 out of 190 $100k+ deals, i.e. 58%), Nigeria is head and shoulders above its peers, with Egypt and Kenya almost tying, and South Africa in fourth position again,” the report noted.
The report highlighted contrasting performances among the continent’s largest startup ecosystems. While Nigeria and Egypt maintained strong funding momentum, Kenya recorded its weakest funding performance since early 2021 after a strong second half of 2025, and South Africa failed to attract $100 million in funding during the period despite leading the continent a year earlier.
Africa: The Big Deal also noted a broader shift in investor behaviour, with funding increasingly concentrated in larger transactions while early-stage investments continued to decline. According to the publication, the drop in smaller funding rounds reflects growing concerns about limited capital available for early-stage startups across Africa.
