In 2020 an online conference entitled “Russia and Africa in the Modern World: New Challenges and Prospects for Cooperation” was held by the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Financial University under the Government of Russia and the Youth Parliament of the Russian Federation State Duma. The event was organized under the auspices of the Integration Club under the Chairman of the Russian Federation of the Federal Assembly, as well as with the support of the Russian Committee of Solidarity and Cooperation with the Peoples of Asia and Africa (RCSCAA).

The aim of the conference was a clarification of the economic and socio-political implications of COVID-19 in Africa and the development of proposals to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. The event examined the difficulties of the African continent that were exposed by the coronavirus: the decline in economic development, the fall in production and demand for raw materials, the food crisis, the increase in unemployment and poverty, the growth of threat of internal conflicts, etc. The conference participants concluded that the countries of the continent in order to combat the problems raised by COVID-19 need to strengthen practical cooperation with the Russian Federation on the basis of comprehensive agreements that were reached during the first Russia-Africa Summit and Economic Forum in October 2019. This can only be achieved through coordinated work between the state authorities, business and academic circles.