Just got to Sochi to cover the Russia-Africa summit for @pass_blue and I see Erdogan’s plane making a dramatic landing 
Dozens of heads of state are here for this summit, including pretty much all the big names. On the table are huge military and economic deals, especially in nuclear energy. Nigeria expected to buy weapons for Boko Haram fight, Rwanda to ink deal for nuclear power plant
The big question is how will this effect power shifts, democracy and human rights. It is key to look at Guinea right now, where Russian ambassador came out in support for Alpha Condé’s overturning constitution for a 3rd term. Opp has huge protests against, at least five have died
Putin is hosting this summit on the back of a long one-on-one with Erdogan in Sochi, where he seems to have consolidated Russia and Assad's position in NE Syria. By the end of the week, Russia will have made significant power plays across two continents
#RussiaAfricaSummit forums include one on diamonds (which carefully notes that 47% of world's reserves are in Africa), energy (both oil+gas and nuclear, Tinubu will speak), tech, agriculture, housing
Ethiopia and Russia sign a nuclear energy deal. No details on $ amount, what it will cover
Putin now speaking. Says 2000 Russian and African companies are attending the summit. 40% of Russian trade with Africa is with Egypt
Putin says Russia’s total military trade with continent is worth $15 billion. Has written off $20 billion in debt #RussiaAfricaSummit
Debt and Alpha Condé about to eat lunch together
The summit has a VR shooting range
Rosatom’s nuclear expo. Russia really pushing nuclear energy in this summit, not sure how successful that will be
Ethiopian PM and Nobel Peace Prize winner Abiy Ahmed checks out the military equipment on display
More pictures from the #RussiaAfricaSummit: Putin, Namibian President Hage Geingob, Kagame, Buhari, Isabel Dos Santos, Salva Kiir
Abiy Ahmed, Alassane Ouattara, and more
And besides energy and other sectors, big interest from participants in the weapons exhibition
Back for day 2 of #RussiaAfricaSummit. South Africa minister of state security Ayanda Dlodlo at panel on security says Europe’s crackdown on migration put pressure on country, and that country is open to migration but that people are competing for scarce resources
Most of the deals signed at this summit are MOUs and not binding contracts. A lot announced, but remains to be seen how it will play out
Russian military contractor advertising wares on a panel titled A Safe Africa: “You saw how we crushed the terrorists in Syria”
More pictures of military expositions at the #RussiaAfricaSummit
South Sudan mines minister: “We are tired of signing MOUs. If you are serious, I am going back to South Sudan tomorrow and I hope to see you there soon.
Former Nigerian President Obasanjo is here
Kaduna governor El Rufai, here looking at the nuclear energy expo
Some closing thoughts now that the summit is over: A ton of MOUs were signed, but how many of them will become contracts? Russia has stated its intent + has shown it is serious about growing trade w Africa, but a fair amount of this summit is about pure power projection
Rwanda and Zambia are the most serious about nuclear power, but are at bare minimum a decade away from making that happen. To me the most growth for Russia in Africa will be in oil, gas, diamonds, other minerals, and weapons
Russia can't compete with China and the US doesn't have a foreign policy for Africa beyond military expansionism. The non-African state w the most to lose here imo is France, who relies heavily on their neo-colonial relationships w Francophone African countries
