Senegalese President Macky Sall, head of the African Union, is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in the southwestern Russian city of Sochi on Friday, according to Dakar.
According to Sall's office, the aim of the visit is to free the grain and fertilizer reserves particularly affected by the blockade in Africa and to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
Sall will travel with the head of the African Union Commission at Putin's invitation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also make a video address to the AU, although no date has been set.
Fuel, grain and fertilizer prices have skyrocketed worldwide as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, which is being felt most severely in African countries.Ukraine and Russia are the main suppliers of wheat and other grains to Africa, and Russia is also a major producer of fertilizers.
Last month, the United Nations said Africa was facing an "unprecedented" crisis as a result of the war, worsening the continent's problems, including climate change and the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this week, Sall called on European Union leaders to help ease the crisis in key commodities. He claimed that his decision to exclude Russian banks from the SWIFT financial messaging system would endanger Africa's food supply.
He claimed that his decision to exclude Russian banks from the SWIFT financial messaging system would endanger Africa's food supply. If the SWIFT system goes down, payment becomes difficult, if not impossible, even if the products are available, Sall explained via a video link.
"I would like to insist that our relevant ministers examine this matter as soon as possible in order to find appropriate solutions," he added.
Sall admitted that the Russian blockade of Odessa had affected Ukraine's food exports and supported UN-led efforts to open the port.
After invading Ukraine on February 24, the West hit Russia with a series of sanctions in an attempt to punish Moscow for its military intervention in 1.