Nikolai Novichkov: “A secure world is only possible in partnership with the Global South and Global East”

How will the third Russia-Africa Summit, scheduled for this fall in Moscow, differ from the previous ones? What are the reasons for the overall decrease of Russian exports to Africa despite political successes? How likely is it that the West, after the failure of the plan to “deal Russia a strategic defeat,” will actively try to regain its positions in Africa?

– Mr. Novichkov, the Expert Council on the Development and Support of Comprehensive Partnership with African Countries has been operating in the State Duma for several years now. To what extent has its work during this time become a real instrument of influence on policy, rather than just an expert platform? What legislative initiatives or systemic solutions aimed at strengthening relations with Africa have been implemented through it?

– The Expert Council is a platform for exchanging opinions, located within the State Duma, and it is necessary for systematizing and harmonizing the legislative framework. The Council covers relations with the entire African continent, and we have held countless meetings, roundtables, and expert sessions. I am confident that the very opportunity to create an effective space for dialogue is already an achievement.

Over the past 30 years, we have largely lost the African agenda. By this I do not mean the broader public; even at the expert level, at the level of decision-makers, people generally do not realize what is happening on the African continent, what the priorities are, where it is heading, and so on. For example, not everyone knows that the population of Africa has exceeded 1.5 billion people. For us specialists, this is not news, but some people are surprised by these figures.

What does one and a half billion people mean? On the one hand, they are consumers, a huge market; on the other hand, this represents vast human capital that allows for the creation of new industries, new knowledge, and new opportunities.

We truly do have a lot of work, and being at the heart of Russian-African affairs and influencing what happens is a complex task and an enormous responsibility.

– This fall the third Russia-Africa summit will take place in Moscow. The first one in Sochi was largely exploratory in nature and aimed at restoring dialogue, and the second one in St. Petersburg took place under unprecedented sanctions pressure and focused on breakthroughs in the economy and food security. What will be the key objectives of the upcoming summit? How will the third summit fundamentally differ from the previous ones?

– Currently, the political and economic agency of the African continent is on the rise. In recent years, the number of African BRICS countries has tripled, and if we count partner states as well, the figure is even higher. Africa is returning to the global political and economic stage. There is a whole group of African countries that are already economic giants, comparable to traditional developed nations.

Therefore, I would say that the third summit will be dedicated to transforming the agenda from the humanitarian, supportive aspect of “let’s help Africa” to a new stage of interstate relations. We understand that there are many leading countries and associations in Africa that have something to offer both Russia and the global community. The status of African partners is already being elevated to that of full-fledged, respected participants in global political and economic processes. I believe that the third summit will be connected to this, among other things.

Let me give a simple example. We are gradually moving away from the model of humanitarian food supply toward technological cooperation. It is important for Africa to organize the production of agricultural goods and their processing on its own territory. This is a key direction. The same goes for energy. Everyone knows that Rosatom is building a massive facility in Egypt, namely the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant. Projects for small modular nuclear power plants are also being developed.

Thus, creating infrastructure and growth points on the African continent is on the agenda today, with economic issues being the most pressing.

– Two years ago, you had great hopes that the digital ruble would become a tool capable........

© New Eastern Outlook