News Summary:
On September 17, 2026, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Bishkek summit established an institutional bridge designed to integrate existing Russia-Africa, China-Africa, Central Asia-Africa, and EAEU-Africa projects within a wider Eurasian framework. Earlier on the same day, Russia and Ghana stepped up their political dialogue at all levels, aiming for concrete economic cooperation across trade, investment, energy, digital technologies, and personnel training. This followed news from September 16, 2026, that Afreximbank's pan-African payments platform (PAPSS), which connects 30 countries and 24 central banks, prepares to link with major payment systems in China and India by early 2027 to reduce African trade costs. On September 15, 2026, research indicated the African Union (AU) emerged as a significant peace and security actor over the past two decades, with its peacekeeping missions expanding as UN missions declined, albeit with a mixed record of success. Previously, on September 13, 2026, India's Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (Economic Relations) Sudhakar Dalela confirmed that India invited countries and regional bodies, including the African Union, to the BRICS outreach session, ensuring representation from key developing regions to share the bloc’s work with its Global South partners.
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