Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is now on the last day of a 5-day, 4-country tour of Africa, which holds major implications for the future development of Africa.
On July 6 and 7, Lavrov travelled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation in trade, nuclear energy, transport, and agriculture, and explore a way for landlocked Ethiopia, in Eastern Africa, to find access to the sea. In September 2025, Ethiopia and Russia signed an action plan for Russia to build a 2,400 Megawatt nuclear power plant in Ethiopia; at the recent July 6-7 meeting, the two sides signed a strategic roadmap for concrete steps to build the plant. In physical terms, Ethiopia, under Ahmed, is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The very large Russian-built nuclear power plant, combined with the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, will accelerate Ethiopia’s growth.
On July 8, Lavrov visited Niger’s capital, Niamey, to discuss important strategic matters with Niger’s President General Abdourahamane Tchiani. However, while in Niger, Lavrov also met with the Foreign Ministers of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which consists of the countries of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. The AES was formed in September 2023 as a step of the three countries breaking free of the last shackles of French imperialism, with the countries ordering French troops out of their countries. While in Niamey, Lavrov and the other foreign ministers met and issued a Joint Communique. The communique announced, “As part of the ongoing strengthening of relations of friendship, solidarity, and cooperation of the Confederation of Sahel States and the Russian Federation, the second session of consultations between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Confederation of Sahel States and the Russian Federation was held in Niamey on July 8, 2026.” The meeting and communique covered a wide range of relations, including advancing cooperation on military matters, “judicial matters,"and economics
After the meeting, Lavrov assured in a statement that Russia is prepared to strengthen the three African states’ economic sovereignty. “Our businesses,” Lavrov said, “our state, and our competent economic and financial structures are ready to actively help our African friends’ progress [towards economic sovereignty.] Much has already been done, but there is still more to be accomplished. It is a large-scale undertaking, and we are prepared for it.”
