Russia-Africa summit announces 146 agreements and prepaid payments in Moscow
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on RFI
The third Russia-Africa summit ended in Moscow with 146 agreements announced, while several African delegations received prepaid bank cards for their expenses. The measures illustrate payment difficulties linked to Russia’s exclusion from the SWIFT network, reports RFI.
The official record of the third Russia-Africa summit lists 146 announced agreements, including 92 agreements and 54 memorandums, according to Roscongress, the meeting’s organiser. The summit also produced a 2027-2029 action plan covering 19 areas, reports RFI.
Most African heads of delegation received prepaid bank cards to pay their hotel, transport and food expenses in Moscow. Since 2022, foreign Visa and Mastercard cards have no longer worked in Russia, which was excluded from the SWIFT payment network. RFI notes that alternative systems promoted by Moscow and the BRICS, notably Russia’s SPFS and China’s CIPS, remain little used in trade with Africa. Russia accounts for less than 1% of incoming foreign direct investment on the continent and less than 2% of West African trade, according to figures cited by the media outlet.
African leaders, including Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye, who was then at the head of the African Union, stressed the need to move from projects to implementation, with funding, schedules and evaluation. The summit also adopted a 101-point Russia-Africa declaration and a plan through to 2029.
