Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa is among the African leaders attending the second Russia-Africa summit to take place in St. Petersburg on July 27-29.
President Putin is expected to engage on a personal meeting with the visiting heads of Africa states like Zimbabwe, South Africa, Uganda, Egypt and more.
Reports say out of the 55 African countries only 17 will be represented. Commenting on the low attendance Russian foreign Ministry Special Envoy Oley Ozerov is quoted in several media saying, “We won’t kick up a fuss because, firstly, they might have other pre-planned events requiring the participation of heads of state and secondly those who could attend, attended.”

In a press statement on Tuesday, the Russian diplomat said work is underway to prepare to open Russian embassies in all African countries. Ozerov said, “We will start with a certain number, but I hope that eventually, we will open embassies in almost all African countries.”
Ozerov also described the decision to close Russian diplomatic missions in Africa in the 1990s as “an incorrect move.” With this new development, Russia is taking significant steps to bolster its presence and strengthen diplomatic ties with African nations as the West and Russia compete for influence on Africa.
The Russia-Africa summit will also discuss Moscow’s grain and fertilisers exports, Oleg Ozerov told the state RIA news agency in a statement released on Tuesday.
“The creation of logistics corridors, hubs not only for food and fertilizers, but also for any other products that the Russian Federation produces – this will be one of the topics of discussion,” Ozerov told RIA.
“It seems to me that the idea of such logistics corridors and the creation of grain hubs is promising and feasible.”
What will Africa come out with from this summit?