African Union calls for industrialisation of Africa’s resources
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Realequatorialguinea
African Union chair Évariste Ndayishimiye is calling on Africa to move beyond raw-material exports and join value chains, notably through industrialisation and technology transfers. At the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, he called for a more balanced partnership with Moscow based on shared interests.
The president of the African Union and Burundi, Évariste Ndayishimiye, has called on Africa to stop limiting itself to extracting raw materials and instead participate in their processing, innovation and all stages of the value chains. He was speaking at the third Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, where he called for Russian investment, technology transfers and industrial projects, according to Realequatorialguinea.
Évariste Ndayishimiye cited agribusiness, energy, infrastructure, transport, industry and scientific research among the priority sectors. He also called for improved access for African products to markets, the development of payment systems and logistics corridors, and stronger relations between Russian and African companies.
The president of the African Union advocated cooperation based on trust, mutual respect and converging interests. He invited Russian companies to examine investment opportunities in Africa, particularly in energy and industrial processing, according to the Equatorial Guinean media outlet.
The forum comes as 48 African countries are expected at the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow, according to an announcement published on 26 October 2026.
