Russia is multiplying strategies to stimulate its commercial relationships with the African continent. The country is looking for new markets for its products that had been banned from accessing European markets since the invasion of Ukraine

JSC A7 Holding is a Russian shipping company. It has created a subsidiary dedicated to West Africa and plans to launch a direct sea route to the port of Lagos in Nigeria, with stops at the port of Dakar (Senegal). The new subsidiary, called “A7 African Cargo Lines LLC”, was registered in the Russian National Register of Companies on Thursday, April 17, 2025. The announcement of the creation of a direct sea route between Russia and West Africa comes as Moscow continues to diversify its trade partners to deal with European sanctions following the war in Ukraine. This former co-owner and chairman of the board of directors of the Russian maritime transport giant Far Eastern Shipping Company (FESCO) also revealed that his new company plans to launch a first direct sea route to the African sub-region by mid-June 2025