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Third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow
The third Russia-Africa Summit took place in Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday. Delegations from 48 African countries attended, including 21 heads of state and government. The summit was co-chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye, who is also Chair of the African Union (AU). Participants included, amongst others, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Kenyan President William Ruto.
At the closing press conference, Putin highlighted the expansion of economic relations as a key priority in cooperation with Africa. He noted that trade volume had reached more than 27 billion US dollars in 2025, but that this was “only the beginning”. The Action Plan of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum for 2027 to 2029, which was adopted at the summit and comprises 236 individual measures, provides a framework for further economic cooperation. Plans include, amongst other things, greater use of national currencies in trade, the integration of Russian payment systems with the pan-African payment platform PAPSS, and closer cooperation with African development banks. Customs procedures are also to be simplified, and direct flight connections and international transport corridors expanded. Other key areas include investment in the extraction and processing of critical raw materials, the establishment of Russian industrial zones with localised production in Africa, and the development of joint production facilities for medicines, vaccines and civilian drones. In the energy sector, cooperation is planned on the construction of nuclear power stations and on the mining and processing of uranium. In addition, the participants adopted a joint declaration in which they called for reforms of the UN Security Council and international financial institutions, as well as greater representation of African states in international bodies. A further declaration on the civilian use of artificial intelligence (AI) outlines plans for cooperation on the development of AI applications, the detection of AI-generated fakes and the assessment of technological risks.
On the sidelines of the summit, Russia signed separate action plans for cooperation with both the AU Commission and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The AU Commission’s plan for 2027 to 2029 covers 19 areas of cooperation, including peace and security, technology, agriculture and education. Putin also met with representatives of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with which Russia is seeking to deepen its partnership. He also held bilateral talks with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed; the latter announced on the same day that Ethiopia had received twelve Russian Su-35 fighter jets. The summit was accompanied by the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum and a youth forum at Moscow State University of International Relations (MGIMO).
The summit forms part of Russia’s efforts to strengthen its relations with African states. These include cooperation on security policy, collaboration in the energy sector – particularly in the field of nuclear energy – and the expansion of diplomatic missions on the continent. African governments are using their cooperation with Moscow as part of a diversified foreign and economic policy to pursue their own interests and expand their international partnerships. However, these relations are also marked by tensions, such as criticism of Russia’s security operations in Mali and reports of the recruitment of African nationals for the war against Ukraine. Furthermore, the target announced by Putin in 2019 to double the volume of trade with Africa to 40 billion US dollars within five years (Press Review CW 30/2023) has not yet been achieved. The extent to which the projects set in the new action plan are implemented and translated into concrete economic results will become clear in the coming years.
Algeria approves troop deployment to Niger
On Monday, Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered the deployment of units of the People’s National Army (ANP) to Niger. Both chambers of parliament had approved the deployment on Sunday in closed sessions. The decision is based on a request from the Nigerien authorities; the troops are to protect joint Algerian-Nigerien economic and energy interests. The scale and start of the deployment are not yet known. It would be the first foreign deployment of Algerian ground troops since 1973, when Algeria sent troops to support Egypt in the war against Israel.
According to reports, the Algerian units are to be stationed in Madama in northern Niger, on the site of a former French military base near the Libyan border. Senator Belkacem Boulghiti stated after the vote that the soldiers were not to engage in combat but to protect economic infrastructure, in particular oil facilities; the deployment was to remain limited. The state-owned oil and gas company Sonatrach, through its subsidiary SIPEX, is exploring the Kafra block in northern Niger, around 85 kilometres from the Algerian border. Drilling began on 13 August. In addition, Algeria, Niger and Nigeria are working on the construction of the more than 4,000-kilometre-long Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, which is intended to transport Nigerian natural gas through Niger and Algeria to Europe in the future.
Military cooperation between Algeria and Niger intensified after the uprising by parts of the Nigerien military in late August (Press Review CW 36/2026). Algeria was the first country to assure Niger of its full solidarity and, on 30 August, at the request of the Nigerien authorities, sent four Su-30 fighter jets and an aerial refuelling aircraft to support the Nigerien armed forces. During a visit by Niger’s Defence Minister Salifou Mody to Algiers, the two countries also signed a military cooperation protocol on 21 October, intended to deepen military and security cooperation. The rapprochement was preceded by repeated tensions. Algeria had initially criticised the 2023 military coup through which General Abdourahamane Tiani came to power in Niger. In April 2025, regional tensions escalated after the Algerian army shot down a Malian drone near the border. Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso then recalled their ambassadors from Algiers; diplomatic relations between Algeria and Mali have since been restored.
The newly approved troop deployment comes at a time when the security order in the Sahel is being reshaped and regional competition for influence is growing. Morocco, for instance, is planning a gas pipeline project along the West African Atlantic coast, which is to create an alternative transport route for Nigerian natural gas to Europe and expand Morocco’s economic relations in West Africa. The deployment could not only enable Algeria to better secure its energy interests in Niger and thereby strengthen its position in regional competition, but also to establish a direct military presence in a neighbouring country. Some observers see the deployment as a possible shift in Algeria’s traditionally restrained military policy. Whether it actually marks the beginning of a permanently more active military role for Algeria in the region remains open, given the as yet undefined mission mandate.
In other news
The Africa Forum on Harnessing Science and Innovation for Agrifood Systems Transformation came to a close on Thursday in Addis Ababa. The three-day event, organised by the Regional Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with partner organisations, brought together representatives from the worlds of politics, science, business and agriculture. The focus was on how science and innovation can make African agri-food systems more sustainable and resilient. In addition to climate-adapted farming methods and more efficient use of natural resources, discussions centred on how new technologies can be transferred into agricultural practice and made more widely available through investment and international cooperation. South–South and triangular cooperation were also highlighted as avenues for the exchange of knowledge and experience. Despite its considerable agricultural potential and accounting for around 60 per cent of the world’s unused arable land, Africa remains a net importer of food. The countries of sub-Saharan Africa alone spend around 65 billion US dollars annually on food imports.
Event notice
From 9 to 15 November 2026, the 19th edition of the “AFRIKAMERA Film Festival – Contemporary Cinema from Africa”, will take place at various venues across Berlin. Under this year’s theme ‘REFLECT’, the festival will showcase feature films, documentaries and short films that explore the environmental consequences of colonialism, climate change and the struggle for resources. The festival will open with the film “BEN’IMANA (LES ENFANTS DE DIEU)” by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, which tells the story of the intergenerational trauma caused by the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and the subsequent process of reconciliation. Other highlights of the programme include the 360° screening “WATER & COLTAN”, which examines the impact of mining on the land and communities in western Germany and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the accompanying panel discussion “Why isn’t the Congo the richest country in the world?”. The full programme is available here.