🎙 Key takeaways from President Vladimir Putin's remarks at the Plenary Session of the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum (Moscow, 28 October 2026) • Africa is increasingly asserting itself as one of the poles of the global economy and politics. The continent is experiencing a new awakening: its sovereignty is growing stronger, as are its influence and standing in the world. • Western countries are making aggressive attempts to drive Africans back into financial bondage, imposing on them the financial resources they so desperately need on extortionate terms, which force them to pay back many times over to service and repay such debts, to the detriment of their long-term development plans. • Russia has consistently advocated strengthening Africa's role in governance and in key decision-making within the multilateral development institutions • Africa needs solutions that will allow it to dispose of its resources at its own discretion, direct them to urgent needs, and accumulate serious capital and long-term investment in energy, industry, transport and logistics. This would help the continent finally to throw off the shackles of the colonial legacy. • Russia is one of the most reliable guarantors of food security on the African continent. Russian fertilisers and grain are already being supplied to more than 40 African countries [...] In the first nine months of 2026, Russia exported 13 million tonnes of agricultural produce to Africa. Read in full