What African leaders said at the Russia-Africa Summit as Putin woos them with condition-less aid pledge

South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa

Speaking in the aftermath of the event, Ramaphosa said the Summit was a sign of the growing economic importance of Africa on the world stage. 

“What we are witnessing is a dramatic rebalancing of the relationship between the world’s advanced economies and the African continent. We have consistently affirmed that Africa no longer wants to be passive recipients of foreign aid. African countries are developing and their economies are increasingly in need of foreign direct investment,” he said. 

He added that: “It would be wrong, as some have done, to label initiatives like the Russia-Africa Summit as an attempt by world powers to expand their geopolitical influence. Some have even argued that a number of countries in Africa are being led into a debt trap as they take up loans to fund a number of projects in their countries. 

“One need only look at initiatives such as the Forum on China Africa Cooperation, which was last held in Beijing last year, to see that the focus is now on partnership for mutual benefit, on development, trade and investment cooperation and integration.”

Ramaphosa maintained “We are ever mindful of our colonial history, where the economies of Europe were able to industrialize and develop by extracting resources from Africa, all the while leaving the colonies underdeveloped.” 

He said the message from African leaders at the Russia-Africa summit was clear: “Africa needs greater levels of investment. It wants access to markets for its products, goods, and services. It wants to forge economic relationships of mutual benefit that develop our respective countries and uplift our people. The age where ‘development’ was imposed from outside without taking into account the material conditions and respective requirements of our countries is now past.”