This archive report was first published on 24 October 2019.
On October 24, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta arrived in Sochi, Russia, for the inaugural Russia-Africa Summit, which brought together over 3000 delegates from African countries and Russia.
During the summit, President Kenyatta met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed Africa's 'enormous potential for growth' and negotiated deals to tap the continent's riches, including diamonds, uranium, and oil.
Putin also announced that Russia's annual trade with African nations had doubled in the last five years and expressed confidence that it could double again 'as a minimum' in the next four or five years.
On the sidelines of the summit, President Kenyatta held bilateral talks with President Putin, focusing on strengthening Kenya's bilateral ties with Russia and pursuing trade and investment partnerships.
Kenya's delegation, which included Foreign Affairs CS Monica Juma and Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, was also joined by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who pledged to help African countries raise their profile in the international arena.
