Ruto to skip Russia-Africa Summit

Mr Hussein Mohamed, the President’s Spokesperson, said Mr Ruto had conveyed the message to the continental body to carry the wishes of the country at the Summit, Moscow’s second since 2019 to try and tie down relations with Africa as it gets shunned by the West over its war in Ukraine.

“President William Ruto will not be personally attending the Russia-Africa summit; instead, he will be represented by organs of the Africa Union,” he said.

“This decision aligns with the stance of African Heads of State and Government, who believe that in order for Africa to engage in meaningful discussions with global partners, partnership summits organised by external parties need to be reviewed to establish an effective framework for African Union partnerships,” Mr Mohamed said on Wednesday.

President Ruto had been critical of summits inviting African leaders to another place, and recently said it was disrespectful to be loaded in buses as though they were school children. 

However, he himself has attended such summits before, and was even bused in London, last year during the burial of Queen Elizabeth II.

He however says the skip is in line with AU Assembly’s Decision 762 of February 2020 which stated that the African Union (African Continent) is to be represented at partnership meetings between the African Union and a partner country by the Members of the Bureau of the Assembly of the Union, as well as chairpersons of Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the Chairperson of the Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC) of AUDA-NEPAD and the Chairperson of the AU Commission.

Currently, the AU Chair of the Assembly is Comorian President Azali Assoumani while the Bureau includes Egypt, Botswana, Burundi and Senegal. Some leaders of countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa have, however confirmed attending the Russia-Africa summit.

At home, Mr Ruto had promised to meet with opposition leader Mr Raila Odinga, with whom he has bickered over the country’s economic and taxation policies.  The disagreements have led to violent protests recently, only suspended after opposition groups claimed police brutality.

The Russia-Africa Summit, however, is Moscow’s opportunity to make deeper friends with Africa as the West continues to shun Russia over its invasion of Ukraine last year in February. 

The Second Russia-Africa Summit has come four years after the first, largely due to Covid-19. 

But it has come amid a new geopolitical perspective including Western sanctions on Russian government departments, officials and entities with ties to the government owing to the war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to address a plenary session at the Summit and will reportedly “describe the state of and prospects for developing the full range of ties between Russia and African nations in the political, economic and humanitarian areas,” according to the Kremlin.

The participants, including African Presidents such as South African leader Mr Cyril Ramaphosa and Mr Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo, will join in a final declaration of the summit which will dictate the future of ties.

Participants will discuss issues like ‘Partnership for Food Sovereignty’ to be addressed by Konstantin Babkin, President of the Rosspetsmash Association and President of the New Commonwealth Industrial Union. 

Others include Andrey Guryev, the President of the Russian Association of Fertilizer Producers (RAFP), Boris Listov, Chairman of the Management Board of the Russian Agricultural Bank, and Benedict Okey Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank), a programme brochure showed on Tuesday.

Russia argues Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world in terms of food security, despite agriculture employing more than 60 percent of its labour force.

“The only way to solve this problem is to achieve food sovereignty. This is a realistic possibility due to the continent's immense agricultural potential,” the programme added. 

In a commentary on Monday, Putin had said he will use the Summit to “shape a non-discriminatory agenda for cooperation.” Russia, he argued, has consistently supported Africa to rid itself of the yoke of colonialism and oppression.

“We understand the importance of uninterrupted food supplies for the socio-economic development and political stability of the African States. Notwithstanding the sanctions, Russia will continue its energetic efforts to provide supplies of grain, food products, fertilizers, and other goods to Africa,” he wrote.