Under the auspices of the State Duma of the Russian Federal Assembly on March 20, President Vladimir Putin was the guest speaker at the plenary session. Putin based his arguments for building a stronger comprehensive relations on the fact that Africa is increasingly becoming a continent of opportunities, its potential economic attractiveness and, what\u2019s more, it possesses vast resources.<\/p>\n
He stressed that \u201cRussia is reliably fulfilling all its obligations pertaining to the supply of food, fertilisers, fuel and other products that are critically important to the countries of Africa, helping to ensure their food and energy security. We are ready to supply some of the resources to countries free of charge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Putin added: \u201cBy the way, let me note that at the same time, despite all the restrictions and limitations, Russian grain almost 12 million tonnes were sent from Russia to Africa. I would also like to add that Russia is ready to supply to the African countries in great need, at no expense.\u201d (Applause.)<\/p>\n
Russian Foreign Ministry understands the concern that its \u2018African friends\u2019 are desperate for food, and has repetitively offered warm assurances for the \u2018no-cost deliveries\u2019 of grains to Africa\u2019s poorest countries. Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov, who has been driving the Russia-Africa relations for almost two decades since his appointment in 2004, has also indicated in his speeches \u2018free grains\u2019 intended to feed Africa.<\/p>\n
Lavrov, during a news conference following the 78th session of the UN General Assembly on September 23, indicated, over the questions relating Russia with Africa, that there were outcries about the Black Sea Initiative. \u201cIt took six months for the first shipment of 20,000 tonnes to get to Malawi and another three months for 34,000 tonnes to reach Kenya. Now we cannot send 34,000 tonnes to Nigeria. They are just rotting there,\u201d he said in his remark to a media question in New York.<\/p>\n
On October 9, Lavrov meeting with Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit, recalled that during the Russia-Africa summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared Moscow\u2019s decision to \u201csend a free large shipment of grain as humanitarian aid to six African countries that are on the World Food Program list.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are the countries that are most in need of food. These supplies will be completed by the end of the year,\u201d he said, and added that Russia \u201chas already been compensating\u201d for the grain deliveries that reached Africa\u2019s poorest countries that are on the list of the World Food Programme.<\/p>\n
Quoting Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev, Russian media Interfax News Agency early October reported that Russian grain supplies to African countries would start within a month and a half. \u201cWe are now completing the work on all documents. I think they will go within one to 1.5 months,\u201d Patrushev told the News Agency.<\/p>\n
As reported, President Vladimir Putin said at the Russia-Africa forum in July that Russia was ready to supply from 25,000 to 50,000 tonnes of grain to several African countries free of charge in the coming months. He was referring to supplies to Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Mali, Somalia and Zimbabwe. Grain delivery will be free, according to the October 6th news report.<\/p>\n
According to the Kremlin\u2019s and Ministry of Foreign Affairs\u2019 description, the poorest African countries in need of food supplies include Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Mali, Somalia and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
Putin had previously announced that Moscow would send up to 50,000 tons of grain to six African countries at no cost. \u201cWe will be ready to provide Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic and Eritrea with 25-50,000 tons of free grain each in the next three to four months,\u201d Putin told a Russia-Africa summit in July, adding that his country would also cover the delivery costs.<\/p>\n
The biggest question is ensuring food security. African Development Bank (AfDB) President Akinwumi Adesina, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, reiterated that \u201cfood aid cannot feed Africa,\u201d stressing that the continent \u201cdoes not need bowls in hand, but seeds in the ground, and mechanical harvesters to harvest bountiful food produced locally.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as I\u2019m concerned, we shouldn\u2019t be talking about food security in Africa more than five years from now. There\u2019s no reason for it,\u201d he said, adding: \u201cWe have the technology and the financing to do it at scale.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the estimates of the 2022 Global Report on Food Crises, 140 million people in Africa face acute food insecurity. But, Africa would be able to overcome food insecurity within the next five years as the continent has enough financial and technological resources to address the issue, according to Akinwumi Adesina.<\/p>\n
In practical terms, Russia is not feeding the entire Africa and its population which stands at 1.4 billion, but only six (6) African countries. Geography documents Africa as consisting of 54 African countries. This can also be confirmed by the African Union. With current developments, African leaders have to make a complete shift, at least change their development paradigm and approach by adopting new measures toward prioritizing agriculture to feed its population.<\/p>\n
At the Nairobi summit on Climate Change held in September 2023, primarily to review and systematize possible options for Africa to finance climate change, which invariably relates agricultural production, African Union Commission head, Moussa Faki Mahamat, was straight to the point in his demand, on behalf of the 54-member states, that the international investment must be \u201cmassively scaled up to enable commitments to be turned into actions across the continent of Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among most of the speakers at that Nairobi summit, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki\u2019s remarks seemingly carried different weighty significance. While concluding his talk at the gathering, he reminded the necessity for Africa to mobilize its own resources rather than extend hands for handouts that may aggravate the existing situation by inviting interference and corrupt practices, mobilizing inside resources will be enabling and motivating creativity at the level of the continent.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Isaias Afwerki strongly urged Africans to back away from accepting donations. Rather, better to mobilize resources and get away from this dependency that will definitely compromise everything at the level of the continent.<\/p>\n
It is always puzzling, Africa has all the resources, arable lands and the huge water resources. Yet, Africa is poor, the majority of the population is wallowing in abject poverty. Unbelievably low standard of living still persist and widespread across Africa.<\/p>\n
But the point here is that African leaders must get down to their tasks to avoid being always rebuked to leave their \u2018begging bowls\u2019 at home when travelling abroad. As always trumpeted, Africa is immensely rich. It is rather necessary to broaden engagement with external players in food production and to ensure food security within the context of the current geopolitical situation in the world.<\/p>\n
African countries and is Africa\u2019s largest trading partner. China has the desire to shift its focus to agriculture and industrialization on the continent. Chinese President Xi Jinping recently unveiled plans to build more manufacturing plants in Africa, ramp up food production there and equip thousands of Africans with vocational skills to support the continent\u2019s agricultural modernization.<\/p>\n
At the 15th BRICS summit \u2013 a platform hosted by South Africa last August with participation of African leaders, Xi Jinping made a number of concrete proposals including (i) China will launch the Initiative on Supporting Africa\u2019s Industrialization and (ii) China will launch the Plan for Supporting Africa\u2019s Agricultural Modernization.<\/p>\n
A Harvard University study led by professor Calestous Juma showed that Africa could feed itself by making the transition from importer to self-sufficiency. African agriculture is at the crossroads. And that, Africa has to focus on agricultural innovation, follow by industrialization, as its new engine for regional trade and prosperity.<\/p>\n
According to the United Nations Economic Development Report, Africa is now at risk of being in debt once again, particularly in sub-Saharan African countries. Time and again, Wikipedia also reminds that despite a wide range of natural resources and the human capital, Africa is the least wealthy continent per capita and second-least wealthy by total wealth, ahead of Oceania.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It all began in March 2023 with an ear-deafening applause during the inter-parliamentary conference under the theme \u2018Russia-Africa in a Multipolar World\u2019 that was held in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin offered what was referred to as \u2018no-cost deliveries\u2019 of grains to six African countries. This unique promise was consolidated and renewed during the second Russia-Africa summit held in St. Petersburg. Russian media, with its highest public oriented reports and propaganda narratives, keeps on informing its public that Russia feeds Africa and its 1.4 billion population.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":34247,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,15],"tags":[7,26,25],"class_list":{"0":"post-34250","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-politics","9":"tag-apie-project","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-politics"},"yoast_head":"\n