The Russia-Africa Media Forum has opened in Moscow, bringing together more than 200 participants from 46 African countries. 

The gathering, which began on Monday, is being organized by RT in cooperation with the Sputnik and TASS news agencies. It brings together media executives, journalists, and experts from Russia and African countries. The four-day event will focus on media cooperation and the role of journalism in shaping Africa’s image abroad.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Sebastian Maganga, head of content at Tanzania’s Clouds Media Group, highlighted the importance of such gatherings, saying they allow media organizations to exchange stories and share their perspectives with international audiences.

“If you have forums similar to this, that’s when you get the opportunity to share our stories and get stories from Russia and other places respectively and package them,” he said. 

The forum comes ahead of the third Russia-Africa Summit, scheduled for October 28-29 in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin will co-chair the plenary session on October 29 with Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, the current chair of the African Union, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

African leaders have begun arriving in Moscow ahead of the summit, including Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mozambican President Daniel Chapo, and Mali’s transitional president, Assimi Goita. Ugandan Vice President Jessica Alupo has also arrived in the Russian capital, according to media reports.

Putin is also expected to hold bilateral talks with African leaders, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet his African counterparts on October 28. More than 2,000 guests are expected to attend the accompanying Economic and Humanitarian Forum, Zakharova said.

The economic forum will be held at Moscow’s Gostiny Dvor exhibition center. Its agenda covers trade, investment, energy, food security, digitalization, education, and technology.

The upcoming event follows two previous summits between Russian and African leaders. The first, held in Sochi in October 2019, attracted delegations from all 54 African countries, while the second, held in St. Petersburg in July 2023, brought together representatives from 48 African nations.