Maria Sergeyeva: The Rules of the Digital Economy Should No Longer Be Set by a Single Center
The 3rd Russia–Africa Summit will take place in Moscow on October 28–29, 2026. The business agenda will cover economic partnerships, investment, energy and food security, as well as the development of independent payment mechanisms and domestic technological capabilities.
Ahead of the event, political consultant Maria Sergeyeva spoke to the IT Russia media platform about the connection between the 2nd Global Digital Forum, recently held in Moscow, and the upcoming summit, and why technological sovereignty is becoming a prerequisite for equal partnership.
– The 2nd Global Digital Forum, recently held in Moscow, and the upcoming Russia–Africa Summit reflect the same demand: the rules of the digital economy should no longer be set by a single center. The Global South is making this point with increasing urgency, and African partners are not bystanders but full participants in shaping new standards.
When we discuss artificial intelligence, independent payment systems or technology transfer, we are talking about more than technology. We are talking about sovereignty: technological, financial and informational. Attempts to structure cooperation around a ‘donor–recipient’ model merely reproduce the old logic of dependence. The strength of equal partnership lies in working together while respecting each side’s choices.
For Russia and African countries, this opens up practical opportunities: instead of buying ready-made solutions, we can develop them together, build our own expertise and localize production. This is how a multipolar system takes shape, through joint programs and evidence-based approaches, with rules developed collectively rather than imposed from above. The summit in Moscow will test whether we are ready to engage on these terms, as equals.
