There is a “second awakening” taking place across Africa as the continent seeks economic sovereignty, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
In an interview with journalist Marina Kim for the ‘New World’ project on Thursday, Lavrov said there was a growing determination among African nations to break away from economic dependence on the West, which he accused of perpetuating neocolonial practices by extracting Africa’s resources without returning added value.
The inaugural Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum in Sochi, along with the Russia-Africa Summit held last year in St. Petersburg, underscores Africa’s shift toward true economic sovereignty, Lavrov stated.
He believes that, while many African nations gained political independence decades ago, they remain economically tied to Western companies that control resource extraction and value-added processes. Lavrov criticized the “pure neocolonialism” that sees Africa’s natural resources, including rare earth metals and uranium, being extracted by Western companies that retain profits abroad.
The foreign minister contrasted this to Russia’s approach, highlighting Moscow’s support for the development of local production infrastructure in Africa. “Russia, unlike Western countries, invests in Africa in ways that stimulate the production of goods needed by Africans,” he explained, citing fertilizer supplies as an example.
Lavrov recounted his own experience of facing difficulties with aviation fuel access at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, noting that most aviation fuel suppliers in South Africa are foreign-owned. This, he said, reflects a broader issue of economic dependency. Although African nations have achieved formal decolonization, Lavrov argued that true sovereignty including control over essential resources and industries is yet to be reached.
The ministerial conference, held on November 9 and 10 in Sirius, a federal venue near Sochi, saw around 1,500 delegates from across Africa, including 45 government ministers, participate in discussions aimed at strengthening economic and political cooperation.
During the event, Lavrov and other senior Russian diplomats met with foreign ministers and representatives of Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mali, Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa, and other countries. Moscow signed agreements there with the Central African Republic (CAR), Rwanda, and others to simplify visa requirements for diplomats and boost cooperation in the humanitarian and economic fields.
The Russian foreign minister announced that the next Russia-Africa Ministerial Conference would take place in 2025, with Russia open to hosting or attending such an event in any African country chosen by its partners.