English
Русский
MOSCOW. The First International Business Forum Africa Calling was held on 5 June 2023. The Forum brought together more than 300 people - representatives of business, renowned experts, heads of government and business structures, businesses from Russia and Eurasia, representatives of civil society organizations - all those interested in developing humanitarian and economic cooperation with the African continent.
The international Forum was organized by the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly and the Autonomous Non-Commercial Organization "HOUSE OF AFRICA".
The plenary session was addressed by Mr. Andrey Belyaninov, Secretary General of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly; Ms. Alexandra Ochirova, Co-Chairperson of the General Council, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador; Mr. Harbi Said Moussa, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Republic of Djibouti in the Russian Federation; Mr. Benson H. O. Ogutu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kenya; Mr. Augusto Da Silva Cunha, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Angola to the Russian Federation; Colonel General Jean-Baptiste Thiathie Tine, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Senegal to Russia; Mr. Serge Phocas, President of the Centre for Business Development and Cooperation with Russia, Head of the Africa Department of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly.
Moderator of the plenary session - Yulia Petrova, Deputy Secretary General of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly.
The Forum discussed issues of developing cooperation between Russia and African countries. The participants noted the high level of Russia's support for the economies of the countries of the African continent.
The Secretary General of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly Andrey Belyaninov expressed confidence that cooperation between Russia and the countries participating in the Forum will grow: "When people want to be friends, interact, then there are no borders," said the Secretary General.
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Angola to the Russian Federation, Mr. Augusto Da Silva Cunha, spoke about the importance of Russian investments in the economy of Angola. He also emphasized the high importance of cooperation between the Republic of Angola and the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly, saying: “We understand that Angola and the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly will have an important joint milestone. I know that it is planned to open a Representative Office of the Assembly in Angola and this is a great honor for me.”
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kenya, Mr. Benson H. O. Ogutu, in his speech focused on the investment attractiveness of the Republic of Kenya, thanking for the work done in the development of cooperation between our countries.
Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Republic of Djibouti in the Russian Federation, Mr. Harbi Said Moussa, spoke about the development of the state and thanked Russia and African countries for their contribution to the economic development of the Republic of Djibouti.
The co-chair of the General Council of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Alexandra Ochirova stated about the diversity of human civilization and the complexity of managing the existing world order: “The diversity of a living human civilization cannot be managed unipolarly. Just like the simple cannot be controlled by the complex. And now we are looking for an answer to the question of what the world order should be, how governance will be built. And even if it is governance on high-speed platforms, they must incorporate standards of meaningfulness and morality. I wish that such a concept as morality will appear on our agenda.”
A panel discussion was held as part of the Africa Calling International Business Forum. Participants are representatives of leading Russian and African universities, including MGIMO, Moscow State University, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Biotechnical University, Oscar Ribas University (Angola), Ngunga Mbande Higher Polytechnic University (Angola), the University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin) and others .
The issues of strengthening educational and scientific ties were on the agenda: the exchange of students between Russia and African countries, the operation of international internship programs, volunteer programs, the study of the Russian language in African universities, the formation of competencies and skills for the implementation of modern solutions in the education system. The key decision was that the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly will become an interactive platform for uniting Russian and African universities.
The discussion also resulted in an agreement to hold international roundtables and conferences, which will bring together representatives of the scientific and educational community - partners of the Eurasia Peoples' Assembly - not only from Africa, but also from the Middle East and the Eurasian space.
On the sidelines of the Africa Calling International Business Forum, a B2B meeting was held. During the meeting Yulia Petrova, Deputy Secretary General of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly, noted the high degree of importance of the activities of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly, including in the field of food security: “The Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly today is the only international organization in Russia that has a UN mandate to conduct an "Independent Dialogue on Food Security and Food Systems Development".
The presentation of the Africa Calling Business Club made by Serge Phocas, Head of the Department for Work with African Countries of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly became a significant event of the Forum. Mr. Phocas indicated that the Club's mission is to find new approaches to solving problems for businesses that are interested in cooperation with African countries and called on everyone to take part in the Club’s work.
