The ANC believes the Russia-Africa summit will strengthen trade and investment ties between Moscow and the continent.
The summit got under way on Thursday in St Petersburg and President Vladimir Putin welcomed various African leaders.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and the president of Comoros Azali Assoumani are among African leaders who are in St Petersburg.
Putin met with the president of Comoros, Azali, and chairperson of the African Union Moussa Faki Mahamat on the sidelines of the summit on Thursday.
He said he valued the strong partnership between Africa and Russia.
“Russia remains a reliable food supplier for Africa. In 2022, Russian food exports amounted to $4.7 billion. Many large Russian companies are successfully working in Africa. The key spheres of our cooperation include energy, subsoil use, and agriculture. There are good opportunities for cooperation in research and technology, education, and culture,” said Putin.
He also met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Wednesday.
But the ANC said it believes the Russia-Africa summit will bolster relations between the two sides.
It said the summit would also shape the new global order.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is also attending the summit with other senior leaders of the party.
The ANC said the summit takes place after it successfully hosted the BRICS Political Parties Dialogue Forum in Gauteng last week.
The summit in Russia will continue to build on the relationships between BRICS parties and other like-minded parties.
“The summit will create a platform for collaborations for mutual growth, strengthening Russia-Africa trade relations and cooperation in science and technology, mining, agriculture and food security, including peace and security,” said the ANC.
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