Russian-Ethiopian Conference Focuses on Food Sovereignty for Africa
Nov. 27—On Nov. 20-21 the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian Agriculture Ministry sponsored the International Conference on Ensuring Food Sovereignty for African Countries held in Addis Ababa and hosted by the Ethiopian government. The conference was attended by more than 250 delegates from 16 African nations, and emphasized, as Capital newspaper reported the “strategic shift from dependency on foreign aid and food security to full food sovereignty—empowering African countries to control their own food production, processing and distribution using domestic resources, innovation and commitment.”
Judging from media reports and remarks of attendees, the conference reflected optimism about Ethiopia’s and all of Africa’s potential to overcome significant agricultural and political/economic challenges. Ethiopia has made significant progress toward becoming a net food exporter, although it still faces some obstacles in finally achieving that goal.
Another of the conference’s sponsors was the Russian Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad, and the International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo), led by Yevgeniy Primakov, son of the late politician and diplomat Yevgeny Primakov, who served as Prime Minister, Foreign Affairs Minister and director of Foreign Intelligence in the 1990s, during his long and distinguished career. In opening the conference, Primakov released a call to end traditional aid paradigms. “We are here to discuss how Africa can grow on its own, develop and become truly sovereign,” he said. “It’s not about the humanitarian aid that the world sends or who will lead Africa. It’s about how it should manage its destiny.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that Russian economic actors will continue to support Africa’s efforts to strengthen food security, aligning with such key African frameworks as the African Union’s 2025 Kampala Proclamation and Agenda 2063. The conference’s business-to-business sessions and thematic forums focused on sharing Russian agricultural technologies and expertise aimed at modernizing African agriculture. Russia’s experience in mechanized farming, digital agriculture, resource optimization and securing stable supply chains for essential inputs were among the subjects included in conference presentations.
According to Vedomosti, Primakov called for “a joint discussion not of handouts but of experience. Russia’s experience in overcoming total dependence on imports. Experience in creating an effective agricultural sector that today exports food to the entire world. We are ready to share this experience and projects.” In his view, he said, “the future generation of Africans has a brilliant future” and population growth “is not a curse, but a factor of demand and promising market.”