Atta Akyea and Samia Nkrumah to speak at Sochi summit

Samuel Atta Akyea, Minister of Works and Housing of the Republic of Ghana, and Samia Yaba Nkrumah, National Chairperson of the Convention People's Party (CPP) and Founder of the Kwame Nkrumah Pan-African Centre, have been scheduled to participate in two different panel discussions during the first Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, southern coastal city of Russia.

Samuel Atta Akyea together with Gabriel Curtis, Minister of Investments and Public and Private Partnerships of the Republic of Guinea and Peya Mushelenga, Minister of Urban and Rural Development of the Republic of Namibia, will discuss the topic “Current Objectives in Developing the Housing Construction Market on the African Continent” on October 23.

The summit program noted that access to housing is one of the most pressing issues facing most African countries. Modern housing and a comprehensive approach to spatial planning can help ensure sustainable urban development and socioeconomic growth, and it necessary to determine the needs of the housing construction market in African countries and identify joint solutions and ways of working together to achieve the most effective results in the shortest possible time.

The panellists will look at questions such as practical steps aimed at identifying, supporting, and implementing joint projects are vital to such partnerships. What needs to be done to enter the first stage of constructing residential districts? What can governments do to support foreign investment? What mutually beneficial financial instruments are required? What needs to be done to provide inclusive access to safe and affordable housing and ensure that high-quality development planning?

The discussion will be moderated by Nikita Stasishin, Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing, and Utilities of the Russian Federation, and the welcoming address delivered by Vladimir Yakushev, Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation.

Samia Yaba Nkrumah, National Chairperson of the Convention People's Party (CPP) and Founder of the Kwame Nkrumah Pan-African Centre; Sibusiso Moyo, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic of Zimbabwe; Marie Noelle Koyara, Minister of National Defense and Army Reconstruction of the Central African Republic; Nathalie Yamb, Executive Adviser, Liberty and Democracy for the Republic Party (LIDER) of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire and three more panellists will speak on “The Future of the African Continent: Sovereignty and Traditional Values as Crucial Elements of a Development Strategy.”

The panellists will attempt answering a few questions such as: How can countries preserve their African identity? What are the most pressing issues in Africa’s future and how can they be solved? What can Russia do to help people on the African continent form a development strategy and protect their right to make their own decisions?

The program also noted that in an era of globalization, protecting national values and priorities is a pressing concern. Economic and political sovereignty are the foundation of development in a polycentric world, and African countries are no exception. The African Union’s strategic framework Agenda 2063 highlights the importance of preserving African values and Pan-Africanism.

Moderator: Alexander Malkevich, President, The Foundation for National Values Protection; Chairman, Commission of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation on Development of the Information Community, Mass Media and Mass Communications.

The Russia-Africa Summit is the first event of its kind in the history of Russian-African relations to which the head of every African state and the leaders of major regional associations and organizations have been invited.

The plenary sessions will discuss a wide range of international issues and compare views on pressing issues of vital interest to Russia and Africa. The sessions will also focus on potential relations between Russia and Africa, and with an emphasis on finding ways to accelerate and develop the entire range of Russian-African cooperation in a systematic way.

According to reports, Russia would sign 23 new bilateral agreements with a number of African countries and issue a joint declaration that would lay down a comprehensive strategic roadmap for future Russia-African relations.

The Russia–Africa Summit planned on 23–24 October at the Sochi Olympic Park Main Media Centre and will be co-chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President and African Union Chairman Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi. The organizers are the Roscongress Foundation, Russian Export Centre and Afreximbank.