The establishment of the first Ukrainian agri-hub in Ghana is a positive step toward expanding Ukraine’s presence in the African market, however, to establish a foothold in the region, Ukraine must engage international financial institutions as guarantors of security and transition from exporting raw materials to supplying value-added products, stated Leonid Kozachenko, President of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation (UAC).
“Africa is a complex region, but at the same time, it is the continent that suffers most from food shortages in the world. Ukraine produces five times more food than it consumes itself. Therefore, expanding our presence in the African market means both saving lives and opening up enormous economic prospects,” he said on Ukrainian Radio.
According to him, previous attempts by Ukrainian businesses to invest in production in Africa or to independently supply grain often resulted in financial losses and incidents of piracy due to political instability. To minimize such risks, Kozachenko proposes involving UN agencies, particularly the FAO, and global financial institutions that can act as intermediaries and guarantors of trade transactions.
Currently, Ukrainian goods account for less than 5% of total imports to African countries. To increase volumes, the expert advises drawing on the experience of Turkey and the UAE, which supply the continent not with raw materials but with finished products—flour, pasta, and grains.
According to Kozachenko, the state’s strategic goal should be to attract approximately $85–90 billion in investments over the next 10 years specifically for domestic processing. This would allow annual agricultural exports to increase from the current $27 billion to over $120 billion.
When assessing potential locations for a hub, the head of the UAC noted that West Africa is a challenging region due to internal conflicts. He considers North Africa, particularly Morocco, to be a more promising destination for logistics centers, as it has a more stable economy and opportunities for further distribution of products across the continent.
Ukraine is interested not only in developing partnerships with countries in Europe, North America, and the Persian Gulf, but also with other regions of the world, particularly Africa, Asia, and Latin America, stated Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga.
According to him, Ukraine’s unique defense capabilities and experience in protecting lives are of great interest to many countries around the world. “Countries around the world are watching developments in the Middle East and seeing just how cost-effective and technologically advanced Ukraine’s capabilities are,” Sibiga noted in a post published on social media platform X.
The minister emphasized that years of brutal Russian war have brought immense suffering and destruction to the Ukrainian people, but at the same time have forced Ukraine to develop its own unprecedented strength. Modern Ukraine is a guarantor of security and a reliable partner for those who share its values and seek to protect life from any threats.
“From this new perspective, it is also difficult to understand why any decision-maker in any NATO member country would prefer to have Ukrainian strength outside the Alliance rather than integrated into it,” the minister added.
The incidence of human cases of monkeypox in African countries is on the rise, with nearly 4,000 cases recorded over the past week, the Associated Press reported Tuesday, citing the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to Jean Kasey, director general of the agency, the total number of infected cases since the beginning of the outbreak has risen to 22,800. He noted that 81 people died of the disease in Africa over the past seven days.
On August 14, WHO declared a public health emergency over the spread of monkeypox in several countries around the world.
Monkeypox is a rare infectious disease most prevalent in remote areas of Central and West Africa. Its symptoms include nausea, fever, rash, itching, and muscle pain. With a mild course, the disease usually goes away on its own and lasts from 14 to 21 days.
Earlier, the Experts Club information and think tank released a video with a detailed explanation of the origin of the disease and the prospects for its spread – https://youtu.be/YXYU6KcQTcQ?si=wEj2TQc3MPHGx0QY
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with Kenyan President William Ruto the creation of hubs for Ukrainian grain in African ports.
“Held a meeting with the President of Kenya William Ruto. Thank you for participation in the Peace Summit and a principled position of support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” – wrote Zelensky in his Telegram channel on Sunday night.
The Ukrainian head of state noted that at the meeting they discussed food security issues, which are very important for both countries, the development of Ukrainian-Kenyan relations and projects in the field of agricultural exports.
In addition, the parties considered the possible participation of Kenya in the creation of hubs for Ukrainian grain in African ports.
AFRICA, hubs, President of Kenya, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE, UKRAINIAN GRAIN
Virtual monobank will keep the possibility of card-not-present transactions in only three countries in Africa: South Africa, Egypt and Morocco, the bank’s co-founder Oleg Gorokhovsky said.
“Due to the increased risk of fraud and to strengthen the fight against illegal gambling traffic, we are closing all card-not-present transactions in Africa, with the exception of South Africa, Egypt and Morocco,” he wrote in Telegram on Friday.
According to monobank on its website, it currently serves 7.439 million customers.
As part of the Ukrainian-African renaissance, Ukraine seeks to develop relations of mutual respect and benefit with African countries, in particular offering a number of beneficial areas of cooperation for Nigeria’s new leadership, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said in an interview with the Nigerian edition of The Guardian Nigeria.
“In May, I became the first Ukrainian foreign minister to attend the presidential inauguration ceremony in an African country. It was Nigeria. This fact shows Ukraine’s commitment to developing relations with Nigeria’s new leadership. This way we show other African countries that Ukraine seeks to develop partnership based on mutual respect and shared benefits,” he said, according to the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
According to Kuleba, Ukraine has made steps towards each other in the spirit of mutual respect and now counts on reciprocal steps of the new leadership of Nigeria to develop mutually beneficial relations.
“We propose to increase the volume of trade and consider the possibility of attracting Ukrainian construction companies to projects in Nigeria. Ukraine also has a lot of experience in digitalization. Our “State on Smartphone” program allows citizens to do almost everything online, receive public services. We are ready to share this experience with you. Another promising area of cooperation is cybersecurity. Nigeria is one of the countries that suffer from the highest number of cyber attacks. We know how to counter them effectively,” he said.
Kuleba also stressed that the Peace Formula proposed by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is the only real way to restore a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine.
“Imagine if Nigeria, God forbid, experienced aggression – would you agree to give up part of your territory, allow someone to occupy it and torture your people? You wouldn’t agree to that. Being at the inauguration of your president, I saw your army. I am convinced that your warriors would have fought resolutely for your land. That is what we are doing today. We did not start this war. The hostilities are taking place on our territory, but we know what we are fighting for: the freedom and security of our citizens. And that motivates us to fight against the invaders,” the minister said.
