Russia-Africa trade reached US$35 billion in 2025 with Russian exports including grain, dairy, and poultry exports, while African agricultural imports (coffee, fruit) to Russia also surged. Key areas include agricultural goods, military contracts, and nuclear energy, with Russia actively reducing trade barriers and diversifying into the processed foods and high-tech sectors. We cover Russia-Africa trade, investment, and market entry opportunities and provide your guide to navigating the commercial landscape and forging strategic partnerships for growth in Africa’s emerging markets.
Russia is poised to have diplomatic representation in 49 of the African continents 54 countries, with another four Embassies to open this year. Russia-Africa relations are growing rapidly with Russia now trading more with Africa than the European Union.
Russia’s Wildberries has just begun promoting Ethiopian products for sale on its Russian market platforms. Products such as coffee, tea and flowers are beginning to become popular with Russian consumers. Russian products will be available on Ethiopian online markets later in the year.
Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has met with the Ambassadors of all the 57 Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) members, stressing the need for further cooperation and trade development. The OIC has a combined population of about 25% of the entire world’s people.
Russia has delivered 29 tons of humanitarian aid to Mozambique, sent via the huge Ilyushin IL-76 transport aircraft. The airlift delivered food supplies, essential items, as well as tents and blankets for the population affected by flooding in Mozambique.
The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov has met with his Kenyan counterpart, Musalia Mudavadi, in Moscow. The two discussed deepening bilateral cooperation, trade and synchronizing matters relating to global affairs. Current bilateral trade is mainly agricultural based however both sides see development potential in several areas.
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Russia has recommenced barley exports to Tunisia after recording zero exports of the commodity in 2025. Significantly higher European prices are shifting the supply chain market to Russia’s grain exporters.
The Seychelles Tourism Academy has begun holding Russian language courses in the country to better accommodate the growing numbers of Russian tourists to the islands, who are now the third-largest source of tourism to the Seychelles. Russian tourists have overtaken the Europeans in the amount of money they now spend overseas.
The Russian Sovereign Wealth Fund is prepared to offer Namibia financing options for development projects in the country, as a delegation led by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev visits Windhoek. Russian businesses are interested in Namibia’s energy, advanced technology, the mining industry, petrochemicals, financial and agricultural sectors.
Russian and Ghanaian officials have been meeting in Accra to discuss bilateral trade as well as the coming 3rd Russia-Africa summit, which is scheduled to be held in Ghana later in the year. Ghana is a primary member of the African Union and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. Ghana-Russia trade has tripled in the past three years.
The Russian Defense Minister, Andrei Belousov, has been visiting Togo to discuss military and security cooperation. The country provides access to the volatile Sahel region, and also provides a West African Port of strategic interesst to the Russian Navy.
Russia’s Rosatom has signed an MoU with South Africa’s Nuclear Energy Corporation as regards expanding the generation capacity of its Koeberg NPP and look at developing additional NPP without the country. South Africa has the only NPP in the African continent yet is suffering from blackouts and a lack of electricity,
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