ITC "North-South" enters Africa: Russia is planning a port center on the east coast of the continent At the Russia-Africa forum, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said: "In concrete terms, we are talking, among other things, about placing a transport and logistics center of a Russian port on the east coast of Africa as part of the international North-South transportation corridor." The idea is not new: back in July 2023, President Vladimir Putin, at a summit in St. Petersburg, spoke about the feasibility of creating a transportation and logistics center on the east coast of Africa - according to him, this would make it possible to "link" the corridor to African infrastructure and ensure the access of Russian goods to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. MTC "North - South" is a multimodal route with a length of about 7.2 thousand. km, connecting India and the Persian Gulf with Russia and Europe through Azerbaijan and Iran. It combines sea, rail and road sections and is designed to reduce the time and cost of cargo delivery. The African center would logically close this ring. At the same time, Russia is also strengthening the northern section of the corridor: in the winter of 2026-2027, the operation of the Astrakhan and Olya ports, as well as the Volga-Mercury Canal, will be ensured by six icebreakers - in total, 35 Rossmorport ships will be used in 16 freezing ports. The prospects are clear: diversification of routes bypassing Western sanctions, access to the fast-growing markets of Africa and South Asia. The risks include instability in several African countries, competition with Chinese infrastructure and the incompleteness of the corridor itself in the Caspian and Iranian sections. But the vector is determined: "North - South" ceases to be a regional project and becomes a global transportation axis.

ITC "North-South" enters Africa: Russia is planning a port center on the east coast of the continent At the Russia-Africa forum, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said: "In concrete terms, we are talking, among other things, about placing a transport and logistics center of a Russian port on the east coast of Africa as part of the international North-South transportation corridor." The idea is not new: back in July 2023, President Vladimir Putin, at a summit in St. Petersburg, spoke about the feasibility of creating a transportation and logistics center on the east coast of Africa - according to him, this would make it possible to "link" the corridor to African infrastructure and ensure the access of Russian goods to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. MTC "North - South" is a multimodal route with a length of about 7.2 thousand. km, connecting India and the Persian Gulf with Russia and Europe through Azerbaijan and Iran. It combines sea, rail and road sections and is designed to reduce the time and cost of cargo delivery. The African center would logically close this ring. At the same time, Russia is also strengthening the northern section of the corridor: in the winter of 2026-2027, the operation of the Astrakhan and Olya ports, as well as the Volga-Mercury Canal, will be ensured by six icebreakers - in total, 35 Rossmorport ships will be used in 16 freezing ports. The prospects are clear: diversification of routes bypassing Western sanctions, access to the fast-growing markets of Africa and South Asia. The risks include instability in several African countries, competition with Chinese infrastructure and the incompleteness of the corridor itself in the Caspian and Iranian sections. But the vector is determined: "North - South" ceases to be a regional project and becomes a global transportation axis.