From September 3-6, 2025, representatives from numerous countries across Eurasia, Africa, and the Pacific region convened in Vladivostok, Russia. The Eastern Economic Forum, held for the tenth time at the Far Eastern Federal University, once again showcased Russia as one of the few centres of the global economy capable of not only withstanding the pressure of sanctions but also dynamically increasing its pace of development. This has strengthened ties with partners in the Global South and attracted investors from numerous countries to its projects.
As a result of the ambitious international forum, several hundred contracts were signed, the total value of which exceeded $ 70 billion, and in total these days more than eight thousand participants from 75 countries arrived in Russia, including even representatives of the United States and Europe, who continue to work in the Russian market, regardless of the policies of their governments.
These indicators reflect a fundamental shift in global architecture, where Russia is increasingly confidently integrating its Far East into transport, energy and industrial chains, relying on expanding cooperation with Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
For the delegations from African countries, participation in the Eastern Economic Forum had a double meaning. On the one hand, the forum has become a platform for demonstrating the potential of our continent in the energy, mining, agro—industry and transport sectors, and on the other, it is a visible confirmation that Russia considers Africa not as a peripheral destination, but as an equal partner whose resources, technologies and human capital can be integrated into new global value chains.
It is worth noting that new large-scale energy projects were discussed at the forum, where Africa and Russia have similar interests and objectives. At the EEF, the Russian government and big business presented plans for the modernization of electricity grids and the development of nuclear energy, and African countries, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt and South Africa, demonstrated their willingness to share experiences in diversifying the energy mix.
For Kenya, which plans to increase its share of geothermal generation in the coming years and is actively developing solar projects, such contacts open up the possibility of technological cooperation and access to financing. In addition, business contacts at the EEF are a unique opportunity with high-tech Russian energy companies and their partners from countries such as China, India, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.
It is impossible not to mention the importance of the logistics agenda of the forum held in Vladivostok. Currently, Russia is actively engaged in the development of Far Eastern ports, the Northern Sea Route and land transport corridors, which are becoming a link between Asia, Africa and Europe. For our continent, where the African Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is actively developing and a network of transport corridors is being formed, such as Lamu–South Sudan–Ethiopia or the Lagos–Abidjan coast, interest in the Russian experience is obvious, since effective modernization of transport arteries can dramatically reduce transaction costs and form new markets. In this sense, Vladivostok has become a symbol of how previously peripheral regions can turn into strategic centers if backed by political will and large-scale investments.
Much of the attention at the EEF was paid to the mining industry and the deep processing of raw materials. For Russia, this trend is associated with the development of its Far Eastern regions, where the richest deposits of gold, coal, rare earth metals and forests are concentrated. For Africa, Russian projects are becoming a mirror of their own challenges, because the countries of the continent traditionally export raw materials in unprocessed form, depriving themselves of income from value creation.
The experience of Russia, which focuses specifically on processing and localization of production, is of particular importance for countries such as DR Congo, Zambia or Guinea, where there is a question of building full-cycle plants in mining and metallurgy. In this regard, business and diplomatic contacts with the Russian Federation can bring African states both direct investments, which Moscow is now actively sending to friendly countries, and access to technologies that can radically accelerate and improve their own modernization projects.
It is worth emphasizing the role of agriculture and the Russian agro-industrial complex for the African continent, which were discussed at a number of EEF panel sessions. Moscow, being the world’s largest exporter of grain and vegetable oils, has been consistently increasing supplies to Africa in recent years, where demand for food is growing much faster than production rates. In 2024, Russian grain exports to African countries exceeded 12 million tons, and by 2026 this figure is projected to grow by another 15-20 percent.
For Kenya, which is dependent on wheat and corn imports, the expansion of contracts with Russia means not only food security, but also a reduction in price volatility in the domestic market. In addition, the development of agricultural production in Siberia and the Russian Far East, combined with the construction of new railways and ports, may provide African States with new sources of food supplies that can help ensure a reliable grain supply chain.
Initiatives to create joint educational and technological programs were also voiced at the Vladivostok Forum, which is of particular importance for Africa. More than thirty thousand students from African countries are already studying at Russian universities, and more than nine thousand are studying at leading universities at the expense of Russia. At the EEF thematic venues, representatives of the Russian government and delegations from African countries discussed the expansion of quotas, as well as the creation of joint research centers. For Kenya, which relies on the development of the digital economy and the startup sector, this opens up huge opportunities for cooperation with Moscow in the field of IT, telecommunications and engineering sciences, where Russia is one of the world leaders.
Such large-scale and representative formats as the Eastern Economic Forum open up the widest opportunities for the entire African continent to build equal economic relations based on the pragmatic exchange of resources, technologies and knowledge. It is important to take into account that Russia, which once played a significant role in decolonization, sees Africa not as a competitor or a source of resources, but as a partner willing to share risks and benefits, as confirmed by very specific agreements between dozens of states on the continent and Moscow in the fields of energy, security, science, education, logistics and the agro-industrial sector.
The 2025 Eastern Economic Forum has become a clear indication that Russia, despite opposition from the West, is confidently moving towards building a new model of economic cooperation in which Africa occupies a strategically important position. The results of the EEF and the active participation of government and business delegations from the countries of the Global South in its events have shown that a multipolar world has already become a reality, and those countries that can adapt to the new geopolitical and geo-economic architecture in time have the opportunity to move to a qualitatively different level of socio-economic and technological development.
