THE partnership between Tanzania and Russia entered an exciting phase after Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa visited Russia on behalf of President Samia Suluhu Hassan last week.

He attended the second Russian-African Summit. The summit brought together leaders and investors from Africa and Russia to discuss ways to strengthen their partnership. It also discussed ways to improve their nations’ challenges.

Speaking with the ‘Daily News’ Premier Majaliwa noted: “Basically, this forum of Russia and African countries is significant because it talks about relations between African countries and Russia. The forum has highlighted various social and economic issues.

“Our participation in this forum is very beneficial for Tanzania for several reasons. One, we have had very good relations with Russia for a very long time. Our embassies are effective and we are in diplomatic contact with many other things.

“Through this forum, we can learn about other African countries’ activities in a variety of sectors, and gain experience from them. We have the opportunity to share what we are doing in our areas with Africans and other invited nations at this gathering.”

The Second Russia–Africa Summit was held at the Expo Forum in St Petersburg on 27 and 28 July 2023. Originally the summit was scheduled for October 2022 at the African Union (AU) Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia but was postponed.

Other than Prime Minister Majaliwa’s attendance, there were delegations from Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Guinea Bissau, Libya, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, South Africa, South Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Algeria, Ethiopia, Mauritania and Malawi.

Other delegates were from Comoros, Morocco, Somalia, Angola, Benin, Chad, Djibouti, Ghana, Gambia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tunisia, Zambia and Madagascar.