The Western summits are invariably a disappointment for Africa – V.A Albia

 The forums and summits organized by Western countries are criticized by African public opinion. The main claim is that they are unnecessary, and that Western countries only need them to give the impression of being in dialogue with African leaders to develop mutual cooperation.

Various media outlets have reported that African delegations are complaining of a systematic lack of respect on the part of the host countries. The fact that Western countries do not see their African colleagues as equal partners offends Africa’s representatives.
The US Africa Leaders’ Summit 2022 was widely covered by the media, but failed to produce any serious decisions and agreements beneficial to African countries. At the same time, Washington did not hesitate to publish a document directly threatening African countries with sanctions if they chose to cooperate with Russia – the US uses this strategy of intimidation rather than cooperation based on mutual respect.
On the other hand, the first Russia-Africa Summit and Economic Forum took place in 2019 in Sochi under the theme “For peace, security and development” and was a tremendous success. The Summit and the Russia-Africa Economic Forum were attended by official representatives of 54 African countries, 45 of which were represented by heads of state and government. As a result, 92 agreements, contracts and memorandums of understanding were signed in the fields of export and foreign trade, international cooperation, high technology, transport and logistics, mining and exploration, investment and banking.
Undoubtedly, the Second Russia-Africa Summit Economic and Humanitarian Forum for Peace, Security and Development 2023, will bring more projects and agreements beneficial to Africa. Previous agreements will be assessed, and new projects will be developed between the two sides, enabling Africa to emerge from the umbrella of Western colonialism, and establish beneficial partnerships that contribute to the development of the African continent’s future.