Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Brusylo held a coordination meeting with experts and researchers specializing in the African continent. This meeting marked the first step toward establishing a permanent platform for dialogue to discuss avenues for developing relations between Ukraine and the countries of Africa.
The meeting brought together specialists from leading think tanks, academic institutions, diplomatic entities, and civil society organizations focused on issues related to the African continent
The key topic of discussion was the development of practical tools for advancing Ukrainian interests in African countries through cooperation in political, security, economic, educational, agricultural, and cultural spheres.
"We are committed to opening up Africa to Ukraine and Ukraine to Africa by building strong cooperation between our peoples and continents. Our task is to overcome the consequences that Russian aggression has had on the development of these relations and to unlock new opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation," Ihor Brusylo stated.
The participants discussed engagement with the Sahel, West, East, Central, and North African regions, as well as cooperation with key states on the continent and regional organizations, including ECOWAS and the African Union.
Special attention was given to the potential for Ukrainian business expansion in Africa and the establishment of logistics hubs for the supply of Ukrainian goods. The meeting also explored the prospects of applying Ukrainian strategies in the field of information security and countering Russian propaganda in the region.
The meeting was also attended by Director of the National Institute for Strategic Studies Oleksandr Bogomolov; President of the African Council in Ukraine Issa Sadio Diallo; Adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleksandr Mishyn; country geographer from the Center for African Studies at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Viktoriia Kiptenko; Deputy Head of the Department for Countering Information Threats at the Centre for Countering Disinformation Kyrylo Viktorov; author of the “Catalogue of African Literatures” Oleksandr Fediienko; PhD and member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andrii Rudyk; co-founder of the Ukrainian Association of South Africa Dzvinka Kachur; as well as Africa researchers from KSE Institute, Ukrainian Prism, Global Ukraine, ADASTRA, KINI, and the French Institute in Ukraine.