Moscow aims to help the continent become an influential center of global development, Tatyana Dovgalenko has said

Russia is ready to help Africa achieve energy and economic sovereignty, without laying claim to the continent's resources, Tatyana Dovgalenko, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Africa Partnership Department, has said.

Speaking at the Russia-Africa session of the Russian Energy Week forum in Moscow on Wednesday, Dovgalenko emphasized that Moscow's approach to cooperation is based on mutual benefit, not resource extraction.

"We are ready to lend a helping hand in the spirit of continuity, and we are not laying claim to Africa's resources. Our country is rich in its own resources - we have no such goal," Dovgalenko stated. "We are focused on building potential on the continent."

Moscow aims to support Africa's transformation into "a distinctive and influential center of global development," Dovgalenko said, noting that this "is impossible without energy sovereignty, because energy is the lifeblood of any economy."

Dovgalenko added that Russia intends to train engineering and technical specialists for Africa's oil and gas industry. The diplomat stressed that "personnel are everything" and that "Russia is ready, in the spirit of continuity, to train professionals in the oil and gas sector, as well as nuclear physicists, engineers, and other related fields."

Russian Deputy Energy Minister Roman Marshavin highlighted Africa's vast potential for joint energy initiatives with Russia. Citing UN forecasts that by 2050 every second child will be born in Africa, he said rapid population growth will drive GDP and energy demand, creating long-term opportunities for cooperation.

Marshavin stressed that expanding electricity access through "African GOELRO" - referring to the Soviet Union's national electrification program of the 1920s - is a key priority. "Russia, with the necessary experience and expertise, is ready to participate in electrification projects and help our partners," he said.

(RT.com)