Russia-Africa. A New Vector of Cooperation: From Humanitarian Aid to Technological Sovereignty

On May 28, the State Duma hosted a roundtable discussion on "Russia-Africa Cooperation in Ensuring Food Security and Implementing Western-Style Technologies in Agricultural and Bioeconomy Projects." The event brought together representatives of relevant companies, large businesses, and leading academic circles.

During the discussion, experts discussed practically significant topics on the bilateral agenda: from the localization of agricultural production and technology transfer to supply chains, reverse imports, guaranteed financing mechanisms, personnel training, and corporate social responsibility.

This was the final meeting of the Expert Council for the current convocation of the State Duma.

The participants emphasized that the expertise accumulated during the convocation, pilot projects, and practical cases will form the basis for systematic work in the new political cycle.

Alexander Babakov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, noted in his welcoming remarks:

"The successful practices being implemented today provide a sound basis for analysis and replication in other areas of cooperation. We may not have time to pass large-scale institutional decisions during this convocation, but the State Duma is a living organism. I am confident that cooperation with Africa will gain new momentum from the start of the new convocation and become a model for developing cooperation in other regions."

Nikolai Novichkov, Deputy Chairman of the Expert Council, added that the accumulated experience of the current convocation will be a valuable asset for the next one and emphasized the importance of the topic chosen for the final meeting:

"It is no coincidence that we chose the topic of food security for the final meeting. Our shared goal is to move beyond simple grain supplies to technological cooperation. Our African partners are interested in local production and advanced processing, and the transition to trade in high-tech products and equipment is a priority for both us and our partners."

Tatyana Dovgalenko, Director of the Department of Partnership with Africa, emphasized that Russia provides large-scale humanitarian aid, but these are ad hoc solutions that don't alleviate the continent's problems.

"African countries have colossal resources, and to transform this potential into sustainable prosperity, projects for technology transfer, mechanization, and crop productivity improvement are needed. Russia, having successfully addressed the issue of food sovereignty in the face of external pressure, is ready to share this experience," Dovgalenko noted.

Yulia Berg, Director of the International Business Acceleration Center, proposed a new, effective mechanism for interaction with African countries:

"For cooperation to be sustainable and profitable, it is necessary to build supply chains with a mandatory element of reverse imports, as well as those that would allow for the development of a preventive buyback mechanism. For example, Russian supplies of fertilizers and equipment could be accompanied by a guaranteed return of agricultural products from the previous harvest. This would create long-term commercial guarantees for both parties and would allow the high margins currently lost to foreign players (especially when it comes to coffee, cocoa beans, and nuts) to be channeled into the development of mutually beneficial partnerships. This would also allow to focus on development and implementation of standardized agro-industrial complex models."

Following the meeting, experts noted a paradigm shift: interaction is moving from a raw materials-based, humanitarian format to a comprehensive technological partnership.