“As African countries, nation states and as a continent we are in control of our own destiny.”
That’s how pres. Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday afternoon at the second Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg in Russia.
Ramaphosa is one of 49 African leaders who attended the summit which was held on Thursday and Friday in President Vladimir Putin’s home city.
This second Russia-Africa summit is an opportunity to further strengthen international cooperation and partnerships for Africa’s development.
Although Ramaphosa welcomes the cooperation between Russia and Africa, he also strongly feels that African countries do not owe anyone anything.
“African countries, as sovereign states, should be able to follow independent foreign policy approaches that do not owe anything to any of the major global powers or blocs,” the president said in his speech.
“Our considerable resources are used primarily for the benefit of Africa, to grow African economies and to pursue sustainable development.
“We seek reciprocal trade and investment, and that the goods, products and services from Africa compete on an equal footing in the global economy. Respect and mutual benefit are the underpinnings of our international relations.”
The proposed Russia-Africa action plan for the coming years should be in line with the second ten-year implementation plan of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 vision to realize economic integration and inclusive socio-economic development. This will ensure better coherent and more action-oriented interventions, says Ramaphosa.
According to Ramaphosa, there must be joint monitoring and evaluation of the action plan. “We must collectively allocate the necessary funding for implementation and be responsible for concrete outcomes.”
