Russia Hosts Historic Summit for African Leaders

Vladimir Putin poses alongside African heads of state in Sochi. (The Kremlin)

Russian President Vladimir Putin co-hosted a diplomatic summit in Sochi alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi from October 23 to 24. The multilateral and bilateral discussions focused on nuclear energy, military cooperation, and furthering trade relations. The summit is part of Russia’s strategy to compete with Western and Asian nations as they continue to build inroads on the African continent.

Organizing the summit represents the latest excursion of an increasingly globally-minded Russia. For the past several years, Russia has sought to garner favor and power outside its traditional sphere of power in Eastern Europe. In pursuit of this goal, Russia has sought to challenge, in particular, western involvement in Africa.

All 54 African countries sent a delegation to Sochi. The enthusiasm for a redoubled effort by Russia is partly the result of African frustration with western sources of foreign aid and investment. Christopher Kayumba, an analyst at the University of Rwanda explained recent Russian growth in Africa, saying "interfering in the affairs of African countries is one of the main criticisms of Western powers on the continent.” Unlike Western powers, Russia and China are “are perceived to be equal partners [with the African nations]” because they don’t expect or demand political change. 

In exploiting this frustration, Russia has come to regularly denounce Western presence in Africa as neocolonialism and make itself available as an alternative. When questioned on October 21 by the TASS news agency, Vladimir Putin said: “We see how an array of Western countries are resorting to pressure, intimidation and blackmail of sovereign African governments.”

African attendees of the summit sought out potentially beneficial bilateral discussions with Vladimir Putin. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed gratitude and excitement about the summit. While speaking to Putin, he noted that “a free South Africa [is] what it [is] today largely because of the support we got from the people of Russia and your government.” The Russian government looks to increase military cooperation with South Africa. In a symbolic move, two nuclear capable bombers landed in South Africa as part of a training mission, coinciding with the beginning of the summit.

Another area of frequent discussion was the expansion of Russo-African cooperation on nuclear energy through the Russian ROSATOM State Nuclear Energy Corporation. Russia has found a niche for cooperating with African states on nuclear power. Earlier this year, the Egyptian government granted ROSATOM a permit to begin work on the Dabaa nuclear power plant. Putin allocated $190 million dollars towards its construction. 

Similarly, Ethiopia and Russia signed an agreement to increase intergovernmental cooperation on nuclear energy. The agreement aims to outline cooperation regarding the construction of Ethiopian nuclear infrastructure, safety regulations, and the control of nuclear material.

Additionally, the Sochi summit served as a place to discuss arms deals between Russia and various African states. In the summit’s exposition hall, African heads of state played with Kalashnikov rifles and surveyed model tanks. As the summit drew to a close, Nigeria purchased 12 Mi-35 attack helicopters. One of the main attractions of partnering with Russia is the fact that it is a no-strings-attached provider of aid and weaponry.

Russia intends to sell $4 billion dollars of arms to African nations in 2019. Even in spite of this figure, Russian financial ties to Africa are dwarfed by the efforts of status quo investors.