search Coordinator of the Program emphasized the use of digital technologies in the African energy sector during the Russia-Africa Energy Summit
From September 29 to October 3, 2025, Andrey Maslov, Director of the HSE Center for African Studies and Coordinator of the e-Governance Knowledge Sharing Program, participated in the Russia-Africa Energy Summit in Cape Town, South Africa. The event took place within the African Energy Week 2025 organized by the African Energy Chamber.
The event was moderated by NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. He noted consistent Russian support not only for infrastructure but education, training, and provision of energy justice which rely on technological capacity.
The summit involved African energy experts, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders, as well as Russian officials, experts specializing in Africa and executives from oil & gas enterprises:
- Dmitry Poduev, Vice-Director of International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation
- His Excellency Domingo Mba Esono, Deputy Minister of Hydrocarbons of Equatorial Guinea
- Nosizwe Nokwe-Macamo, Executive Chairperson for Raise Africa Investments
- Vladimir Aptekarev, Deputy Director General for Floating Power Energy Solutions, Rosatom
- Andrey Maslov, Director of the HSE University Centre for African Studies and Coordinator of the e-Governance Knowledge Sharing Program, supported by “Innopraktika” company
The participants discussed ways of building Russia-Africa long-term partnership in the field of energy, with a special focus on knowledge and experience-sharing, education, and capacity building. Among other topics, they spoke about application of digital technologies (including those of Russia) to improve energy infrastructure and address energy challenges in Africa, for example, energy shortages.
In his speech, Andrey Maslov highlighted the importance of education and digital transformation in Africa’s energy sector in the next 5-10 years:
“It is embodied in digital transformation of the sector and enhancing governments capacities to control it, to control Africa’s own resources. Here I am talking about technologies on data collection & storage, protection of the critical infrastructure and others”.
He also commented on how can the lack of data at the governments’ disposal challenges hinder the energy sector’s development in African countries.
Vladimir Aptekarev also mentioned upcoming technological breakthroughs in Russia-Africa energy cooperation in the next few years:
“We are definitely moving to Africa as far as we love it and we want to be there for a long-term. And we are ready to bring new technologies that would be visible there within a few years already. So it will be a breakthrough. We have lots of spheres to collaborate in (AI, datacenters, agriculture, etc.)”.
Dmitry Poduev admitted the importance of digital technologies when putting African natural resources to the service of people:
“Russian companies will grant you an access at reasonable market price to technologies and you will build a genuine energy and technological sovereignty together. It’s impossible to create them on one’s own. So taking joint steps is important to go together toward this goal”.
