Russia forum unveils vision for global growth and new economic order

Lubinda Haabazoka, Director at the University of Zambia’s Graduate School of Business, during the Open Dialogue forum in Moscow, Russia. [Courtesy]

A forum hosted by Moscow has unveiled bold proposals aimed at shaping a new global economic architecture and growth model.

The forum, Open Dialogue with, the theme “The Future of the World - A New Platform for Global Growth,” featured expert discussions, presentations, and informal exchanges among participants.

More than 100 authors from 43 countries presented ideas on four themes of investing in people, investing in connectivity, investing in technology, and investing in the environment.

Russian President Vladimir Putin who attended the forum said that a complex, multipolar architecture of global development is being formed before our eyes.

Putin explained that through the global development an increasingly important role is played by states that clearly understand and value the importance of national sovereignty in political, economic, cultural, and social spheres, and are capable of independently determining their development vector based on their own values, resources, priorities, identity, and sovereign worldview.

“It is evident that no country can develop in isolation — at the expense of other states or to their detriment. Furthermore, modern global challenges require a joint response and collective efforts,” he said.

The Open Dialogue is a platform where experts discuss the development of the global economy. The initiative is aimed at shaping a new global model of growth and brings together participants from different countries for open exchange of ideas and the development of solutions.

Russian economist Maxim Oreshkin noted that the Open Dialogue brings together people from different countries, professional schools, generations, and cultures, each of whom has their own experience, their own perspective, and their own language for describing the future.

Oreshkin said it is precisely in this diversity that the main thing is born — the ability to see a problem more broadly, to question familiar answers, and to find solutions that prove stronger than any single point of view.

“That is why the Open Dialogue is especially important today — not as an exchange of general declarations, but as a conversation in which ideas are tested for novelty, realism, and the ability to work in different conditions,” he said.

Participants from Africa send around 100 submissions. At the in-person stage of the Open Dialogue, their ideas were presented by lecturer and translator at Ain Shams University Malak AbdelFattah and Director of the Al-Hiwar Centre for Political and Media Studies Ahmed Taher from Egypt, intern at the International Investment Bank Yago Diakhite from Senegal and independent researcher Moses Mutinda from Kenya.

Others were student of Mohammed V University in Rabat Aya Arfaoui and Senior Lecturer at Hassan II University Sanaa Haouata from Morocco, Director of the Graduate School of Business at the University of Zambia, Lubinda Haabazoka, and lecturer in economics, finance, and business management at the University of Zambia Austin Mwange from Zambia, as well as postgraduate student Solomon Gardie from Ethiopia.

Malak AbdelFattah presented a platform for supporting small and medium-sized businesses, designed to eliminate the financing gap and address trust issues between companies and banks.

Austin Mwange spoke in favor of developing partnerships between Russia and African countries in clean energy. He proposed creating an integrated system combining nuclear energy and renewable energy sources to address the problem of energy deficit: more than 600 million Africans experience a lack of electricity.

Aya Arfaoui raised the issue of digital sovereignty of developing countries. She noted that international institutions do not give them sufficient influence in regulating the digital space, while decisions are increasingly made by algorithms.

The expert emphasized that the solution lies in regional integration: the creation of a “growing core” of 10–15 countries with a memorandum on digital sovereignty and data protection. According to her, the unification of at least 30 countries will make it possible to shape the rules of the digital space on an equal basis.

“Platforms are no longer merely tools for expressing opinion. On the contrary, they have turned into a strategic instrument for shaping international public opinion, supported by large-scale digital advertising campaigns,” said Aya Arfaoui.

In his essay, Mr Mutinda emphasized that multipolar investments in infrastructure, digital networks, and alternative finance are the key to sustainable global growth. He noted that the potential of African initiatives, including AfCFTA, for expanding trade and logistics, as well as the role of digital platforms and payment systems in increasing financial inclusion and stimulating innovation, especially for countries of the Global South.

The Open Dialogue, which kicked off on April 27 to 29 in Moscow, attracted more than 3,000 authors and experts from more than 120 countries worldwide.