World
Valdai Forum In Tanzania: African Expert On Dynamics And Perspectives Of Russian-African Relations
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
The second Russian-African conference of the Valdai Club Foundation was held on July 24 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in East Africa. Held under the theme: “Russia – Africa: Strategy for Cooperation in a Multipolar World,” the conference gathered more than 40 experts from Russia and Africa. Its primary aim was to identify new tasks for the research activities on African topics, the areas of substantive cooperation and aspects of new partnership.
The Valdai Club’s pre-conference report underscored the fact that already a year after the St. Petersburg summit, “a confidential and frank expert dialogue seems appropriate in promoting mutual cooperation and effectively implementing the tasks set at the summit.” Reminder: St. Petersburg summit declared ‘Action Plan 2023-2026’ within which to implement those several agreements signed.
In this insightful policy interview, Mikatekiso Kubayi, Researcher at the Institute for Global Dialogue associated with UNISA, Research Fellow: Institute for Pan African Thought and Conversation, Doctoral Candidate, Political Studies, University of Johannesburg, after the 2nd Russian-African conference in Tanzania, offers his expert thoughts and, further discusses the results, expectations and aspects of the challenges that starkly remain in the Russian-African relations. Here are the interview excerpts:
As one of the participating experts, what were some of the most significant questions raised during the July 24th roundtable discussions held in Dar es Salaam, on Russia and Africa?
There were many interesting and important questions. Chief among them were questions on the exact priority areas for African development, technical capacity and development, Financing, and Trade. The roundtable sought to find and even innovate opportunities for collaboration and how to improve mutual gain from each other’s competitive advantage. This was at both bilateral and multilateral levels.
Why Russia’s efforts to regain its economic influence have achieved little tangible (visible) success, why is soft power softer than in Soviet days?
The question is, ‘What would constitute visible success?’. The history of Russia’s engagement with Africa is well recorded. The development of global trade and the politics of global finance is also well-recorded. Africa’s challenges have been and continue to occupy high priority in the global discourse on global reforms, debt and its stifling servicing costs, and so on. Would a visible success constitute Africa’s overnight transformation into the Africa we want? Perhaps the focus should be on Africa’s interest in genuine development partnerships rather than be ‘influenced.’ That is what the relationship is about.
In your expert view, Russia’s economic power, its global status and its staunch membership of the ‘informal association’ – BRICS, how did the Dar es Salaam gathering assess its current investment and business engagement with Africa?Russia is keen to participate in areas that African partners identify as a priority. Technology, Agriculture, Energy, Education, and Health are priority areas. Opportunities for joint efforts, such as in R&D and other collaborative efforts, are explored.
What were some of the setbacks and obstacles identified? Did the gathering also map out strategic pathways to enhance engagement in the economic sectors in Africa?
I believe this was the first roundtable organized in Africa by Valdai in this format and on this issue. The first step has been to engage and explore what has not been done and what can be done. These are two economies with limited financial resources yet many human (intellectual) and natural resources endowments; notwithstanding sanctions and developmental challenges, there was a shortage of joint exploration of priority areas of cooperation, coupled with consistent effort.
We’ve been talking about economic diplomacy between Russia and Africa. And it’s also important to look at the relations as a two-way street. Could you please explain possible reasons why African economic presence is extremely low, compared to Asian countries, in the Russian Federation?
One could argue that its limited presence in the Russian Federation mirrors its development, levels of trade, and other areas that are accepted as needing improvement. The Asian continent has India, China, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other economies that have gone through massive development spurts and can leverage particular competitive advantages gained. Africa will also get there.
How do you see the future pathways? What would you finally say about the results of the Valdai’s conference in Dar es Salaam, under the theme: Russia – Africa: Strategy for Cooperation in a Multipolar World?
A lot was identified as actionable areas. These areas will be carried forward as policy recommendations, material for track one diplomacy to take forward and for track two diplomacy to research and develop further in areas such as the application of technology in both regional and national value chains, investments in domestic production according to identified priority and strategic areas, joint efforts such as in research and development.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
About $32 million has been put into the African Trade and Investment Development Insurance (ATIDI) by Germany through KfW Development Bank.
This funding package allows the European nation to become a D2-class shareholder of ATIDI, a status dedicated to Export Credit Agencies and Non-African Public Entities.
Of this amount, $18.4 million is funded from BMZ budget resources, with the remaining $13.6 million coming from KfW’s own resources. As such, it will assume the obligations and benefits related to its new shareholding status, including representation in ATIDI Governance and decision-making structures, and equally participating towards improving German trade and investments in Africa in alignment with the G20 Compact with Africa (CwA 2.0).
KfW’s subscription in ATIDI is the culmination of a dynamic partnership between the two organisations.
On behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), KfW has supported several countries’ membership in ATIDI with over $100 million in financing, thus strengthening the organisation’s capital base and expanding its ability to mitigate risk and mobilise private investment across African markets.
The new equity participation adds a direct shareholding to this long‑standing cooperation.
KfW is the 13th Institutional shareholder in Africa’s premier development insurer, further strengthening the organisation’s capital base and its capacity to support trade and investment across the continent.
At the official signing of the subscription agreement in Nairobi, Kenya, a member of the executive board of KfW, Ms Christiane Laibach, said, “Our membership is executed on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is only the latest culmination of a successful cooperation that has enabled the ATIDI membership of several African states and has created innovative insurance solutions to attract foreign investment on the continent.”
The chief executive of ATIDI, Mr Manuel Moses, said, “This milestone is iconic in many ways. First, it elevates our already dynamic bond with KfW and creates more opportunities for German investors looking to engage in Africa. It is also a recognition of ATIDI’s earned status as Africa’s top development insurer and the acknowledgement of the soundness of our business. Last, it underscores the power of partnerships in a global context increasingly marked by volatility and uncertainty. ATIDI will spare no effort to make this partnership a successful one.”
Established in 1948, KfW is Germany’s state-owned promotional and development bank and a key implementing partner of BMZ in international financial cooperation. Its shareholding in ATIDI is expected to stimulate up to $500 million in trade and investment between German companies and African markets.
Over the past 25 years, ATIDI has grown to become Africa’s premier provider of development insurance and one of its highest-rated financial organisations. It leverages its partnerships with leading multilaterals and regional bodies, including the African Union, the World Bank Group, COMESA, the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), to offer innovative credit and investment insurance products that foster sustainable and transformational growth across the continent.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Netherlands’ largest energy provider, Essent, has cut the technology costs of its contact centre infrastructure by half.
The organisation, which serves 2.5 million customers, recorded zero critical incidents post-migration and improved agent workplace satisfaction by 36 per cent.
The migration was delivered in partnership with AI-first customer experience transformation specialists, Sabio Group, and was completed in under 12 weeks for an operation spanning over 1,000 agents across two locations.
Agents were forced to juggle multiple disconnected screens simultaneously — a workflow that was as inefficient as it was stressful.
“Our agents were constantly working with different screens — multiple chat instances open at once, multiple agent desktop instances. It was messy, and in some cases, quite stressful,” SAFe Product Manager for Customer Interaction, Omnichannel and Digital Transformation at Essent, Michiel Kouijzer, stated.
“A lot of colleagues were saying I was mad for even suggesting this approach. It kind of feels like a victory on a personal level that it did work out. You just have to be a little ambitious — and have the right expert partner who can make it work,” Kouijzer added.
With stable cloud infrastructure now firmly in place, Essent is turning its attention to the capabilities that were impossible in its legacy environment: AI-powered call summarisation, agentic customer self-service, and next-generation workforce optimisation.
Rather than a reckless ‘big bang’ cutover that could have affected service to millions of households, Sabio engineered a phased migration strategy — beginning with Essent’s SME segment to validate technical readiness before scaling to the full enterprise operation.
“This project showcases Sabio’s unique position in the contact centre technology landscape. We’re not just moving Essent to the cloud — we’re establishing a foundation for continuous improvement in their customer experience delivery,” the Country Manager for Sabio Group Benelux, Wouter Bakker, commented.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
On April 11, the presentation of the book “Africa: a new market for Russian business” took place, which aroused lively diverse interests among business representatives, entrepreneurs and employees of federal structures of Russia. The event was dedicated to discussing the prospects of Russian companies entering the African market and became a platform for the exchange of views and experiences.
Participating guests, packed in the small hall, included:
– representatives of business circles,
– entrepreneurs interested in new directions of development,
– employees of federal agencies curating foreign economic activity.
The presentation was held in a constructive and friendly atmosphere. The author of the book, Serge Fokas Odunlami, detailed the key ideas and conclusions presented in the publication. Particular attention was paid to the practical aspects of operating in the African market, as well as the analysis of opportunities and risks for Russian companies.
During the lively discussion, participants asked questions, shared their experiences and made suggestions for developing cooperation with African countries. This format allowed not only to get acquainted with the content of the book, but also to discuss topical issues of expanding business relations.
Meaning of the book: The publication, “Africa: a new market for Russian business” offers readers not only analytical, but also practical recommendations on investment and market trends, and how to enter the African market. The book will be a useful tool for those considering Africa as a promising destination for investment and business development.
The presentation of the book became a significant event for the Russian business community interested in expanding cooperation with Africa. Serge Fokas Odunlami introduced the participants to the new edition, which is a comprehensive business guide that gives an impetus for dialogue and implementation of joint entrepreneurial projects and corporate initiatives across Africa.
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