Africa in a global changing economic and political power scenario encompasses a very important place and became a center of global political, economic and diplomatic activities. Keeping in view its immense importance Russia focused Africa and has given importance to it in its foreign policy and its diplomatic activities.
Africa is the world’s second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia in both aspects. It has an area of 30.37 million square kilometers and a population of 1.39 billion people. It covers 20% of earth’s land and 6% of its total surface area with 1.4 billion people as of 2021 live, it accounts for about 18% of the world’s population. Africa’s population is the youngest amongst all the continents, the maiden age is around 20 years while the world’s maiden age is 30 years. Despite the wide range of natural resources, Africa is the least wealthy continent. Despite this low concentration of wealth, recent economic expansion and the large and young population make Africa an important economic market in the broader global context.
Economic Indicators
Population 1.39 billion (2023)
GDP (Nominal) US$ 3,140 billion
GDP (PPP) $ 8,860 billion
GDP growth 3.9 %
GDP Per Capita (Nominal) $ 2,260
GDP per Capita ( PPP) $ 3,370
The British and France colonized more than 95% of the African Continent. Britain colonized twenty African states while French colonized twenty. A large percentage of French Nuclear Power Plants ran on the uranium extracted from the deposits in Niger and France had also a military base there. There is a vast awareness among African people and they want Colonist countries to be out from there. They raise objection that all the resources mineral and natural are theirs but they are used by these colonists who are treating them as their slaves and sucking their blood. Colonist Ambassadors are being declared as “Persona Non Grata”, Africans have decided to decolonize their continent.
US Europe nexus against Russia failed to get desired results because about fifty-eight countries refused to become part of US led sanctions and efforts to block Russia. African continent kept poorer and its wealth was used France and Britain. This rich continent in terms of natural and mineral resources how much is deprived by western powers can be imagined that about six hundred million people have no access to electricity. Now slogans are raised” GO From our Soil” and “We don’t want France”. Russia’s growing influence is a matter of great concern for west. Russia is the chief arms supplier to Africa, accounting for forty percent of African imports of major weapons systems between 2018 and 2022. This has been higher than the total arms import from the United States’ 16 percent, China 9.8 percent, and France 7.6 percent during last three years. As part of an effort to resolve the South African energy crisis the Russian government offered to build and operate up to eight nuclear power plants at a cost of US$ 66 billion. The African continent is experiencing rapid population growth, and many countries in Africa depend on the import of food products. Russia has been the largest supplier of wheat, rapeseed, and sunflower oil, and many African countries have been virtually dependent of Russian wheat reserves for years.
The Revolt against western hegemony is the result of its dual standard, oppression and imposing its cultures and language on others. French leadership failed to realized the anger and hatred growing against its policies for the last several years. While Russian president stressed to respect Islam and Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) France officially supported blasphemy and Islamophobia campaign. Africa is Muslim dominating continent and it was vital to combat against extremism that western countries should respect Islam and Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) but French president when displayed caricatures on his official building it caused great sentiments among Muslims and now revolt in Gabon and Niger is the last nail of western policies’ coffin. France is finally facing up to reality by withdrawing both its ambassador and military from Niger two months after a coup ousted the Pro-France President, and this pull put marks the most severe setback yet for President Emmanuel Macron’s Africa policy. At the last UN General Assembly in February ,2023 majority of the African countries avoided to vote against Russia, which was a set back for western policy makers who wanted to isolate Russia.
Russia’s vigorous diplomatic efforts started in the 2000s. In 2006, President Vladimir Putin visited the Re Republic of South Africa, followed by his successor Dmitry Medvedev’s trips to Egypt, Angola, Nigeria and Namibia in 2009. Since 2014, various high-ranking Russian states officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov have visited different African countries and signed multiple bilateral military, economic, and security cooperation agreements, as well as written off billions of dollars in African debts. In 2019, President Putin hosted the first-ever Russian-African summit at the Black Sea retreat of Sochi, reinforcing Russia’s standing as a reliable strategic partner on the continent and securing military contract agreements with different nations, including the Nigerian government , which agreed to purchase Russian assault helicopters. In July 2023, despite the war sanctions, and western pressure, 17 heads of African states attended the Second Russia-African -summit and signed several agreements with Russia on prevention of arms race in space, cooperation in informational security, and combating terrorism on the continent. Russia also promised to write off additional debts. These ongoing diplomatic efforts, encompassing high-level visits, debt relief, and strategic partnership agreements, have proved to be particularly useful at the United Nations.
In addition to strengthening diplomatic ties with African states, the Russia has also expanded its economic footprint on the continent. For instance, trade revenue between Russia and African countries almost doubled from $9.9 billion in 2013 to $17.7 billion by 2021. Grain exports are of particular importance, as nearly 30 percent of Africa’s grain supplies come from Russia. Moscow’s leading trade partners in the region are countries in North Africa—particularly Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco, which together account for approximately 67 percent of Russia’s total trade with the continent. Moscow mainly exports wheat, coal, refined petroleum, and electronics to these states, while importing fruits, sugar, and vegetables. During the 2023 Russia-Africa summit, Putin even promised to start shipping free grain in the next several months to six African nations significantly impacted by the cancellation of the grain deal: Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Eritrea, and the CAR.
An important aspect of Russia’s economic outreach to Africa is that it is dominated by Russian companies that are either partially or fully owned by the state, including oil and gas giants Rosneft, Tatneft, and Gazprom, which carry out major hydrocarbon projects in North Africa. Rosatom, Russia’s nuclear power company, has also been actively engaged with different countries across the continent. For instance, in summer 2022, it received permission from an Egyptian regulator to start building Egypt’s first nuclear power plant, based on the 2017 agreement signed between President Putin and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The plant is expected to become fully operational by 2030. Rosatom also funds different educational and cultural exchange opportunities in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields to support Russia’s soft power efforts in Africa. In addition to energy deals, Moscow has also boosted cooperation with different states rich in natural resources, primarily diamonds. For instance, Alrosa, Russia’s top diamond mining company, has expanded its operations in Angola, Congo, and Zimbabwe. Importantly, according to some African scholars, “Russia is highlighting collaboration over aid” when seeking lucrative business opportunities in Africa, thus stressing partnerships of equals, “and that message is tempting to some leaders who view the West’s outreach as patronizing.”
Russia retains strong defense and security ties with the continent, spanning arms sales, joint military training programs, and Russian PMC activities. According to a report by the RAND Corporation, Russian weapons sales to Africa have increased from around $500 million to over $2 billion annually in recent years. The key importers of Russian weapons systems are the North African countries Algeria and Egypt, with 73 percent and 34 percent of their arms imports, respectively, coming from Russia. Both states have purchased billions of dollars’ worth of weapons and equipment from Moscow since 2013, including the Su-24, Su-30, and MiG-29 combat aircraft, as well as the S-300 missile systems, among others. Besides Algeria and Egypt, many other countries across the continent also receive Russian matériel, including but not limited to Mali, Sudan, the CAR, and Angola. Besides arms transfers, Moscow has advanced military diplomacy in the region by engaging different African countries in Russian-led military forums and exercises, including the International Army Games, which since 2015 has been attended by around a dozen African states, such as Angola, Algeria, Congo, Mali, and Zimbabwe. The Russian Federation has also organized the annual naval (“Friendship Bridge”) and aerial (“Defenders of Friendship”) exercises between the Russian and Egyptian armies and supported UN peace operations in Congo, Western Sahara, Sudan, and South Sudan by providing a limited number of military observers. Yet, while the official Russian military presence might seem modest, it is usually supplemented by Russian PMC activities, which have been rather extensive on the continent. While the exact numbers of Russian private military companies or operations in Africa are difficult to estimate, available reporting shows that there have been at least seven Russian PMCs that have carried out at a minimum 34 operations in 16 African countries since 2005. PMCs became particularly active in the mid-2010s .
Russia’s forays in Africa present the West with serious strategic dilemmas, as letting Russia expand further affects the United States and allied interests, but attacking it head-on can backfire and end up fueling Moscow’s narrative, something recently experienced by France. On the one hand, the West cannot afford to stand idle and resort only to “strategic patience,” as the stakes are too high considering that Africa is the continent with the youngest and fastest-growing population, with daunting challenges that have direct consequences for global security and stability.
It clearly seems that efforts to isolate Russia and block China got serious set back and keeping in mind the economic hardship of USA and many European countries their efforts would see further set back and their efforts to save their face with the help of India would not get fruits as Canada-India conflict on Indian act of terrorism inside Canada had created rift in alliance of west and India. The global future much relies on Russia and China. Game is slipping from the hands of west and future of the world is in EAST. This is written on the wall and every effort to block Russia and China would result in further crisis in western countries as we are witnessing in USA, UK and Germany.
(To be Continued)