Moscow Hosts First Russia-Africa International B2B Business Forum Expo 2024 – Made in Africa
October 22, 2024
The First International Russia-Africa Expo 2024 B2B Business Forum - Made in Africa took place on October 16, organized by the Russia-Africa Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), the African Business Club, and the Russian Peace Foundation. The forum aimed to open new horizons for cooperation between Russia and African countries.
Representatives of government agencies, businesses, and state corporations from Russia and African countries participated in the forum.
The forum aimed to open new horizons for cooperation between Russia and African countries.
Key points:
- More than 500 participants;
- 15 African diplomatic missions;
- More than 20 African countries;
- More than 50 business representatives from Africa;
- More than 150 Russian companies, business associations, and investment agencies.
The forum opened with a plenary session moderated by Louis Gouend, chairman of the commission working with African diasporas of the Russia-Africa Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University, and Inna Vitalievna Andronova, Doctor of Economics, professor, and dean of the Faculty of Economics of RUDN. The following people delivered welcome speeches to the participants:
- Dmitri Ilitch Soutchkov, head of the department of pan-African issues and regional organizations of the DAF of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, who read a welcome speech on behalf of Anatoli Guennadievitch Bachkine, director of the Africa department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation;
- Violetta Nikolaïevna Medvedev, chairwoman of the board of directors of the Moscow region branch of the Russian Peace Foundation, who read a welcome speech on behalf of Leonid Edouardovitch Sloutski, chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs.
- Andreï Gueorguievitch Dorokhin, head of the department of foreign trade analysis and relations with international organizations of the department of external economic and international relations of the city of Moscow.
- Alexandre Fedorovitch Berdnikov, executive secretary of the Russia-Africa Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University.
During the plenary session, Russian and African entrepreneurs shared the nuances of doing business in Africa and Russia and presented the most attractive investment and trade sectors, as well as existing support mechanisms.
From the Russian side, the speakers were:
- Vitali Andreïevitch Stepanov, general director of the ANO "Moscow Export Center", presented the cooperation of the city of Moscow with African countries and the possibilities for exporters to receive support.
- Andreï Vladimirovitch Severilov, member of the board of directors of the RSPP, chairman of the sub-commission for logistics and supply chains, president of the A7 holding company, presented an analysis of the existing infrastructure and identified key areas for optimizing goods transportation.
- Iegor Aleksandrovitch Ivankov, chairman of the commission for the development of creative industries within the council for financial, industrial, and investment policy of the RF CCI, presented support measures to strengthen Russian-African cooperation.
- Marina Iourievna Nesterenko, chairwoman of the sub-commission on leasing of the RF CCI council for financial, industrial, and investment policy, and editor-in-chief of the magazine "Bankovskoe Delo", presented current financial tools for trade with African countries.
- Alexei Evguenievitch Podenok, president of the Moscow Association of Entrepreneurs, presented the acceleration and cost reduction of deliveries of Russian export goods to countries in Eastern and Southern Africa using the North-South International Transport Corridor.
