President of Belarus: Political Capital in Africa Must Be Monetized into Beneficial Projects

The political capital accumulated in Africa should be converted into projects that benefit all parties involved. This was stated by President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus during a meeting on the development of cooperation with African nations, reports BELTA.

The head of state pointed out that currently, African countries account for only 2% of Belarus's total exports (compared to 1.9% in the same period last year), despite an expanded presence across the region. Until 2019, Belarus's cooperation was primarily with North African countries such as Egypt, Libya, and Sudan. However, significant political capital has now been established with Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Additionally, Uganda, Botswana, Ghana, and Mozambique are showing interest in intensifying joint efforts.

"You know how to turn political capital into mutually beneficial projects," Lukashenko remarked, addressing those present at the meeting. He explained that a successful algorithm has been developed, initially demonstrated through Zimbabwe’s agricultural mechanization program. Currently, Belarus is applying the same approach successfully with Nigeria, having already supplied over 5,000 units of agricultural and specialized machinery. Training for personnel is ongoing, and work is underway to establish service centers. There are also plans to set up assembly plants.

"We all understand how to do it, but progress is very slow," the President noted.

He then posed a question to the attendees: “Which country will be next, and when will we start?”

The head of state highlighted Algeria’s readiness to elevate relations to a new level through substantial projects. "Before the visit, we will see what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the government propose," Lukashenko said. "I intend to discuss concrete steps and specific economic tasks with President Tebboune in the very near future."

Recently, Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov visited this African country. The President concluded by asking, "Did we miss the opportunity with our products in Algeria, or not?"