By Sergei Berdnikov, Russian Ambassador to Zimbabwe
MOSCOW-(MaraviPost)-On the eve of the Third Russia – Africa Summit, Moscow and Lilongwe have an opportunity to take bilateral cooperation to a new level.
For a country often described as the “Warm Heart of Africa”, Russia remains a relatively small but increasingly visible partner. For Moscow, Malawi is one of the African countries with which the full potential of mutually beneficial cooperation has yet to be unlocked.
This is why the upcoming Third Russia – Africa Summit in Moscow on October 28th-29th, 2026 could prove particularly important for Russian–Malawian relations.
The Summit is expected not only to continue the political dialogue, but also to give it greater practical and economic substance. Trade and investment, food security, energy, digitalization, payment mechanisms and other areas of practical cooperation will be high on the agenda.
For Malawi, which is going through a challenging period of economic transformation while looking for new sources of technology, investment and international trade, the Summit represents an important window of opportunity.
From Cairo to Moscow
Recent months have shown that the Russian-Malawian political dialogue is gradually becoming more systematic.
In December 2025, on the sidelines of the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia – Africa Partnership Forum in Cairo, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Malawi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation George Tapatula Chaponda.
At first glance, it was a regular ministerial meeting. Yet an event took place there that may prove more important than many declarations: Moscow and Lilongwe signed the first bilateral document between the foreign ministries of the two countries – a Memorandum on Consultations.
The two sides also reaffirmed their intention to strengthen coordination at the United Nations and other international platforms.
For relations that have long developed mainly through individual contacts and occasional exchanges, this was a significant step forward. The challenge now is to make the political dialogue work for concrete projects. And there are many areas where the interests of Moscow and Lilongwe converge.
Fertilizer Instead of Grand Promises
In Malawi, there is a simple fact that is well understood: food security does not begin with international declarations. It begins with the harvest. And the harvest begins with fertilizer.
This is precisely where Russian-Malawian cooperation already has a tangible dimension. Russia supplies Malawi with mineral fertilizers, including urea and compound NPK fertilizers.
According to international trade statistics, Malawi’s imports from Russia amounted to approximately US$51,2 million in 2024, with fertilizers accounting for a significant share of Russian exports. Imports of mineral and chemical fertilizers from Russia were estimated at around US$25 million. Russian supplies continued in 2025, including shipments of Russian urea. These figures matter for more than just trade statistics.
Malawi remains an agricultural country, and agriculture is directly linked to the incomes and livelihoods of millions of people.
Fertilizer supplies could therefore serve as the foundation for a much broader partnership – ranging from agricultural chemicals and machinery to irrigation, crop storage and agricultural processing.
In other words, the goal could be not simply to sell fertilizer, but to help Malawi increase the productivity of its own agricultural sector.
Trade That Works Both Ways
At present, Russian-Malawian trade is noticeably tilted towards Russian exports. This is natural for a relationship that is still at an early stage of development. In the long term, however, such a model is unlikely to be optimal.
Malawi has plenty to offer the Russian market. Tea, coffee, tobacco, macadamia nuts and other agricultural products form the backbone of the country’s export potential. In 2024, Malawi’s exports to Russia were estimated at around US$5,35 million, with the bulk consisting of tobacco and tobacco raw materials, as well as coffee, tea and spices. The next step, therefore, should be to diversify trade.
For Russian consumers, Malawi remains a relatively little-known supplier. This, however, creates an opportunity to promote Malawian tea, coffee, macadamia nuts and other products on the Russian market.
There is also an opportunity to move beyond raw materials. The more promising approach would be to develop exports of higher-value products – processed tea, packaged coffee and finished food products.
For Lilongwe, this means higher export earnings. For Russia, it means bringing new African products to its domestic market. Such an approach can turn trade into a genuine partnership.
Malawi’s Mineral Wealth and Russian Technology
There is another area that could significantly change the scale of bilateral cooperation: mining. Malawi possesses deposits of uranium, rare earth elements, graphite and other mineral resources. The Government views the mining sector as one of the potential drivers of economic growth.
For Russia, this opens up opportunities to apply its accumulated expertise – from geological exploration and resource assessment to mining equipment, mineral processing and specialist training.
Particularly promising would be a shift from simply extracting resources towards developing value chains with greater added value within Malawi itself.
This also serves Malawi’s own interests. Lilongwe is not interested merely in selling natural resources; it seeks to create jobs, develop industry and build national skills.
Energy for Development
There is another sector without which neither industrial development, modern agriculture nor the digital economy can flourish. That sector is energy. For Malawi, ensuring reliable access to electricity remains one of the key conditions for economic growth. Limited generation capacity and infrastructure challenges directly affect businesses and the quality of life of the population.
Russia’s experience in the energy sector – from major generation projects to hydropower, energy equipment and specialist training – could be of practical interest to Malawi.
Cooperation does not necessarily have to begin with mega-projects. For Malawi, small and medium-sized energy facilities capable of supplying electricity to rural communities, businesses, medical institutions and other social infrastructure are equally important. This is precisely where Russian technologies could find practical applications.
The Most Valuable Long-Term Resource Is People
Yet there is one resource capable of giving Russian-Malawian relations a much longer-term perspective than any trade contract. It is people. Russian education is well known in Africa. Soviet and Russian universities have trained specialists for many countries across the continent, and Malawi is also interested in expanding opportunities for its citizens to study in Russia.
For Lilongwe, specialists capable of working in priority sectors are particularly important: energy, agriculture, mining, medicine, pharmaceuticals, engineering and information technology.
The logical next step would therefore be to develop not only general academic exchanges, but also targeted training programmes linked to specific projects.
A Russian company comes to Malawi with an investment project – the same time a Russian university trains specialists who can work on that project. Such an approach could create an entirely new quality of cooperation.
From Healthcare to Pharmaceuticals
Another area where Russian expertise could be in demand is healthcare. Malawi needs affordable medicines, medical equipment and qualified healthcare professionals. Russia, for its part, has a developed pharmaceutical industry and extensive experience in training medical specialists.
The prospects here extend beyond the supply of finished products. A more ambitious goal would be to develop technological cooperation, train specialists and, over time, create conditions for localizing selected pharmaceutical production processes.
For Malawi this is particularly important: local production can gradually reduce dependence on external supplies while creating new employment opportunities.
Moscow as a Starting Point
There are good reasons to expect that the Moscow Summit will provide new momentum to Russian-Malawian relations. But the real measure of success will not be the mere presence of a Malawian delegation at the Summit. What matters much more is what the two countries take away from Moscow.
Will new political agreements be followed by concrete contracts? Will Russian companies enter the Malawian market? Will exports of Malawian tea, coffee and macadamia nuts to Russia increase? Will Malawi gain greater access to fertilizer supplies? Will cooperation in mining begin to take shape? Will more Malawian students study at Russian universities?
The answers to these questions will determine the Summit’s real impact. The political foundation is already being built.
The signing in Cairo of the first memorandum between the two foreign ministries demonstrated Moscow’s and Lilongwe’s readiness to make their relations more systematic.
Now it is time to fill that foundation with substance.
Leave a Reply