MOSCOW, October 29. /TASS/. African states are interested in expanding investments by Russian companies and establishing joint industrial production facilities on the continent, African Union (AU) Chairperson and President of Burundi Evariste Ndayishimiye announced at the plenary session of the third Russia-Africa Summit.
"We invite Russian enterprises to invest more in Africa, form partnerships within the industrial sector, develop projects with our local partners, and facilitate the transfer of expertise," he said.
According to the AU Chairperson, African countries seek to move away from an economic model where the continent primarily exports raw materials and imports finished goods.
"We need to develop our own industrial capacity, modernize our agriculture, strengthen our energy infrastructure and logistics networks, and invest more in research and technological development," Ndayishimiye stressed.
He noted that Africa possesses significant natural resources, a growing market, and a young population, while Russia can offer technologies, industrial capabilities, and expert knowledge--a combination that opens up broad prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation.
The AU Chairperson also underscored the need to establish domestic value-added production chains on the continent.
"Our continent must become a genuine hub for production and sales, rather than remaining merely a consumer market," he declared.
Ndayishimiye added that developing productive investments and industrial partnerships, alongside facilitating mutual market access for Russian and African enterprises, should be a priority for the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum’s 2027-2029 action plan.
