Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye has called for stronger economic partnerships between Africa and Russia, saying the continent is seeking investment and cooperation rather than financial assistance, as he held bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a summit in Moscow.
“Contrary to what malevolent forces might think, Africa has not come to ask for help. Africa has come to strengthen its partnership with its friend, the Russian Federation,” Ndayishimiye said Thursday during the third Russia-Africa Summit’s plenary session.
Ndayishimiye, who chairs the African Union, said cooperation should focus on economic transformation, industrialisation and the development of value chains to enable African countries to move beyond exporting raw materials and importing finished products.
He called for greater investment in agriculture, energy, infrastructure, research and technology, arguing that Africa should become a centre of production and innovation rather than remain primarily a consumer market.
The summit’s discussions were followed by a bilateral meeting between Ndayishimiye and Putin, during which the two leaders discussed expanding economic relations between Burundi and Russia.
According to Russian media reports citing the Kremlin, Putin said the two countries should explore opportunities to strengthen not only their political relations but also their economic cooperation.
Ndayishimiye expressed interest in Russian investment and technology, saying Burundi had natural resources, capital and a young population but needed financing and technology to develop basic infrastructure.
“We have opportunities, we have natural resources, capital, we have a very dynamic youth. And what we lack is financing and technology to create basic infrastructure,” Ndayishimiye said during the meeting, according to Russian news agency RBC’s account of the discussions.
He said he hoped the two countries could establish mutually beneficial conditions for cooperation and attract more investment.
The discussions point to potential areas of cooperation in agriculture, energy, infrastructure, education and technology. However, public accounts of the bilateral meeting have not identified specific new projects, financing commitments or agreements signed between Burundi and Russia during the summit.
At a joint news conference following the summit, Putin said Russia would continue supplying grain to African countries through both commercial arrangements and donations.
“Russia will continue to play the role of a responsible supplier of grain crops to Africa; we will do so, as before, on both a contractual and a gratuitous basis,” Putin said.
The third Russia-Africa Summit, held in Moscow on Oct. 28-29, brought together representatives from 48 African countries to discuss political, economic, security and technological cooperation.
The gathering comes as Moscow seeks to deepen its relations with African countries, while governments across the continent look for investment, technology and alternative international economic partnerships.
For Burundi, the challenge will be translating the renewed diplomatic engagement into concrete economic benefits, particularly in infrastructure development, agricultural modernisation, energy production and industrial investment.
