• Ivory Coast and South Africa welcome a deal signed by Ukraine and Russia that allows wheat and maize to be exported from Ukrainian ports.
• The agreement is the first major agreement reached between the Russian and Ukrainian governments since the conflict began in February.
• It aims to lower grain prices and restore supplies to countries suffering from food shortages.

South African and Ivory Coast leaders have welcomed a deal signed by Ukraine and Russia that allows wheat and maize to be exported from Ukrainian ports.

It is the first major agreement reached between the Russian and Ukrainian governments since the conflict began in February, and it aims to lower grain prices and restore supplies to countries suffering from food shortages.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said at a news conference in Pretoria with his Ivorian counterpart that the grain blockade had forced African leaders to think seriously about future food supplies.

“Our continued reliance on massive amounts of grains from that part of the world, should be seen as a risk and a real danger to African countries’ 1.3 billion people. We therefore need to use this conflict as a wake-up call.”

President Alassane Ouattara, who is in South Africa on a state visit, insisted that Africa be at the top of the list of grain recipients.

The Ivorian president expressed his delight that Russian President Vladimir Putin had decided to sign the proposal under the auspices of the United Nations and Turkey.

“I also indicated to [Ukraine’s] President Volodymyr Zelensky that I wanted the supply to be made a priority for the African continent, because of the fragility of its economies and the social situation in many countries,” he said.

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