Putin Plans for an ‘African Hub’ of the International North-South Trade Corridor

July 28, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)—Russian President Vladimir Putin opened the plenary session today of the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, according to the Kremlin website. Among the multiple large-scale development projects he raised in Russia’s working with Africa, he discussed bringing the International North-South Trade Corridor (INSTC) that Russia is part of developing, as a “logistics hub” in Africa.

He told the plenary:

“Russia is actively reorienting its transport and logistics flows to the Global South, including Africa, of course. The North-South transport corridor that we are building is designed to provide Russian products with access to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, with further connections via the shortest sea route to the African continent, among other regions. Naturally, this corridor can be used in reverse to deliver African goods to Russia.

“Connecting the North-South transport corridor with Africa, launching regular freight lines, which is our goal, and opening a Russian transport and logistics hub in a port on the eastern shore of Africa could be a good start of our cooperation. We consider it extremely important to expand the network of direct flights to Africa and to contribute to the development of the railway network in Africa. These are the most important goals of our time that we invite our African friends to tackle together.”

In its coverage of Putin’s remarks, RT reports 14.5 million metric tons of cargo moved on the INSTC in 2022; this year is projected for 17.6 million, with a target volume of 41 million tons by 2030.