Inside the entire Russian official-dom and state structures, there are incredible theories of bolstering transparent policy for Africa’s development, providing tremendous support for employment-generating economic sectors, ensuring food security and finding sustainable energy solutions. Since October 2019, the 92 bilateral agreements that were signed have not been fully implemented, while several new agreements were further signed during the second Russia-Africa summit held in July 2023.

Russia, it appears, is a neo-colonial power dressed in anti-colonial clothes.

On 25th May 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated categorically in his official Africa Day message or greetings to African Heads of State and Government that “Russia has consistently advocated for deepening its traditional ties with African partners. This commitment was demonstrated at the Russia–Africa summits held in 2019 and 2023, which opened new avenues for cooperation and fostered greater alignment on key international issues.”

Putin further referred to the unique fact that Russia will continue to broaden the scope of Russia-Africa relations, advancing the well-being of the peoples and contributing to the emergence of a just and democratic multipolar world order. The rapidly changing environment has the required dynamism for driving African actors into prioritizing the continent’s present development architecture.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports noted that Russia and Africa have resolved to move from mere intentions to concrete actions in raising the bilateral trade and investment to appreciably higher levels in the coming years. As a first step, Russia plans to offer trade subsidies and investment guarantees as an emergency support for Russian companies to penetrate into African market, part of the strategy for strengthening economic ties between Russia and Africa, according to an earlier report by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In addition to this report, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov underlined the reciprocity of Russian businesses and their readiness to show initiative and ingenuity. Without mincing words, Lavrov suggested that, perhaps, there is a need to pay attention to the experience of China, which provides its enterprises with state guarantees and subsidies, thus ensuring the ability of companies to work on a systematic and long-term basis across Africa.

Foreign Ministry’s Narratives

In July TV-BRICS media interview with Tatiana Dovgalenko, Director of the African Partnership Department at Russia’s Foreign Ministry, these were the most salient facts and figures, an in-depth discussion on nearly all aspects of Russia-Africa relations.

Dovgalenko, first, acknowledged the creation of the Department of Partnership with Africa within the Foreign Ministry, emphasizing its functions as focusing on the comprehensive, integrated development of relations between Russia and the entire African continent, which are experiencing a real revival today. The work is based on the comprehensive Action Plan of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum for 2023-2026, approved at the highest level. The document covers a wide range of cooperation areas – from security, trade, and investment to education, agriculture, science, and culture. These are determined to promote the Russia-Africa partnership, using both bilateral and multilateral formats and appropriate mechanisms to achieve positive results under the competence of the newly created Department of Partnership with Africa.

In that interview, Dovgalenko unreservedly asserted: “Along with the development of bilateral relations, the most important area of our work to increase the Russian presence in Africa is strengthening cooperation with the integration associations operating on the continent. The coordination of this work has been entrusted to the new Department of Partnership with Africa of the Russian Foreign Ministry.”

Putin’s lofty trade targets to raise figures to US$40 billion remain unrealized, currently standing at just US$27.7 billion.

Records, however, show that Moscow has kept an astoundingly low profile for more than two decades after the Soviet collapse. Today, many African countries are consistently struggling to raise relations to a more constructive level. African leaders have maintained that Russia facilitate rules and regulations as a condition for raising Africa’s economic presence in the Russian Federation. This has, so far, fallen on rocks, as Russia is still stringent with granting permits and necessary working documents. Despite Putin’s lofty trade targets to raise figures to US$40 billion in a speech during the first Sochi summit, Russia’s trade with Africa currently stands at US$27.7 billion, which is still far lower than that of India or Turkey.

“Increasing mutual trade turnover with Africa is one of our absolute priorities. There remains a significant imbalance in trade with the regions of the continent: North Africa accounts for 70% of our trade turnover,” Dovgalenko said, adding, “At the same time, given the existing potential, the achieved figures are far from the limit. We still have a lot to do, especially since the Action Plan for 2023-2026 pays significant attention to trade and economic cooperation with Africa. We are actively working in this direction.”

In this context of review the aspects of Russia-Africa relations, Dovgalenko readily acknowledged that “measures implemented at the interstate level to simplify the visa regime, and in the future, the introduction of visa-free travel to African countries, would help increase the tourist appeal of Africa.” Promoting African destinations in Russian tourism requires not isolated initiatives, but a systemic approach that includes coordinated efforts by the state, business circles, and specialized structures. Thus, it is possible not only to revive tourist interest but also to strengthen Russian-African relations in general.

Carefully analysing reports these past few years, worth noting that greater impactful returns are expected from several initiatives that were reiterated in resonating official speeches, and from the main Russia-Africa Action Plan for 2023-2026, adopted in St. Petersburg in July 2023.

Development projects and policy initiatives were presented, largely showing as if they were already in progress. This is done strategically with anti-western criticisms and in stark opposition to the neo-colonial models, to portray Russia as solely owning Africa and there should not be any other foreign player, not from the United States, Europe or Asia and the Arab world.

Today’s Challenges and Realities

In various policy analyses today, Africa is now increasingly attracting the attention of the international business community in terms of its economic and political affairs. There are implicit indications that Africa, as a matter of concern, is a landscape attracting foreign investment and absolutely not any political ideology. African leaders and the entrepreneurial community are desirous to welcome external sources of funding, such as the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank. That is the stark reality on the continent today, and Russia has to face the corporate business trends and adjust or lose out in the landscape.

Russia has been boastful of its significant anti-Western clichés on the continent, but with little economic impact, at least, for the past few years. Russia’s economic presence is comparatively weak across Africa. More African States are expressing sentiments of joining, for instance, BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) on the persistent influence of Russia. But these African states are noticeably tied to and receive tremendous benefits from their colonial masters. South Africa’s trading partners in the West, very important to South Africa’s economic progress. This applies to many African countries, including Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Nigeria, which are associated with BRICS.

Russia’s economic presence is comparatively weak across Africa despite anti-Western narratives and summits.

Human resources is a major factor in development and economic growth, in addition to financial capital. Nigeria currently has over 230 million people, and can conveniently boost the BRICS population. It is a regional power in Africa, doubtlessly a middle and emerging power on the international stage. Nigeria’s economy is the largest in Africa. According to various estimates, its per capita income is US$9,148, which is less than South Africa, Egypt or Morocco, but a little more than Ghana or the Ivory Coast. Nigeria is a leader in Africa as an energy power, financial market, in pharmaceuticals, and in the entertainment industry. Next to petroleum, the second-largest source of foreign exchange earnings for Nigeria is remittances sent home by Nigerians living abroad. Nigeria has a lower-middle-income economy with an abundant supply of natural resources.

What Experts Recommend

Egyptian Professor Mohamed Chtatou at the International University of Rabat (IUR) and Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, argues that Africa is undoubtedly the continent best endowed with natural resources. With a surface area of approximately 30.3 million square kilometers, if one includes the island areas, the continent covers about a sixth of the surface of the globe and one-fifth of the world’s land mass. Today, it is home to approximately 1.4 billion people.

Strengthening African unity has long been a sought-after goal that has never been achieved. The main challenges to achieving integration are to expand trade among African countries, build more roads and other infrastructure, reform regional institutions, increase transparency and public participation, and coordinate private and public sector initiatives more closely. According to Professor Mohamed Chtatou, sounding cautious optimism, he underlined that these are the sectors or economic spheres that have to form the strong basis of Russia’s relationship with Africa.

In his view, Africa needs to unite not only to strengthen its presence on the world stage but also to address the practical needs of its people. Africa is home to a growing population, abundant natural resources, and a rapidly expanding economy, so it certainly has the potential to play a significant role in shaping the future of the world. As a result, many great powers, including China, the United States, Europe, and India, and today the Arab states, are interested in securing access to Africa’s resources.

He concretely asserted: Russia has to accept the indelible fact that the African-American diaspora, for instance, inseparably forms the core of the U.S.-African bridge. And financial remittances from the United States play an integral part in the private sector’s growth. In addition, the highly-trained African professionals are fostering shared perspectives and unity, actively connecting both regions, rather illustrates the large extent of a first-class model of a multi-polar world.

An African Version

In the wake of the Valdai’s 3rd African conference, which was held in Pretoria (South Africa) late July 2025, its primary goal was to form and expand communities of African and Russian experts interested in Russia’s cooperation with Africa, Côte d’Ivoirean Adu Yao Nicaise, Associate Professor at the Patrice Lumumba Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, wrote an expert opinion article posted to Valdai Discussion Club’s website, that African leaders, who are elected by their people, have to put the interests of their people first, that’s developing the economy and improve their living standards. The natural connection to the fight against “neocolonialism” relates to the pursuit of working against exploitation by foreign powers. In other words, the main primary tasks should be addressing economic and technological backwardness, threats of epidemics and pandemics, focus on providing employment-generating sectors, and pay attention to local production to ensure food security across Africa.

According to Associate Professor Adu Nicaise, Africa is the richest continent in terms of its natural and human resources. In addition, Africa has the youngest and fastest-growing population in the world. According to the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the continent’s population was 1.5 billion in 2024 and will reach 2.5 billion by 2050.

On the background, key foreign players have only to be guided towards the right path of development. And this is often referred to, in the context, as the “African Problems, African Solutions” and therefore, every African state has fiercely resisted external control, whether being China, Russia, India, Europe, or the United States. This is simply to help strengthen both the political and economic sovereignty of African countries.

Africa today welcomes investors, not ideological allies or geopolitical posturing.

Nevertheless, it is extremely unfortunate that institutions created by African countries themselves have become instruments of influence on African states. By and large, the present condition of the continent has to be blamed on the system of African leadership. In the smooth way out of the current situation, Africa today has to retain control over economic resources and be able to use it to achieve its economic sovereignty.

Unique Strategic Dimensions

In the context of a multipolar geopolitical order, Russia’s image of cooperation could be seen as highly enticing, but it is also based on illusions. Better still, Russia’s posture is a clash between illusions and reality. “Russia, it appears, is a neo-colonial power dressed in anti-colonial clothes,” says one report issued by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). Simply put, Moscow’s strategic incapability, inconsistency, and dominating opaque relations are adversely affecting sustainable developments in Africa. Thus far, Russia looks more like a ‘virtual great power’ than a genuine challenger to European, American, and Chinese influence.

That exclusive SAIIA report further underscored the dimensions of Russian power projection in Africa, new frontiers of Russian influence, and provides a roadmap towards understanding how Russia is perceived in Africa. It highlighted narratives about anti-colonialism and describes how these sources of solidarity are transmitted by Russian elites to their African public. For seeking long-term influence, Russian elites have oftentimes used elements of anti-colonialism as part of the current policy to control the perceptions of Africans and primarily as new tactics for power projection in Africa.

The reports delved into the historical fact that, after the collapse of the Soviet era, already more than three decades ago, Russia is resurgent in Africa. Russia has been struggling to make inroads into Africa these years, with only symbolic events such as the Russia-Africa summits and frequent shuttling of official visits between Africa’s capitals and Moscow to showcase Moscow’s great power ambitions. In retrospect, Russia looked more like a ‘virtual great power’ than a genuine challenger to European, American, and Chinese influence.

Better still, Russia’s posture is a clash between illusions and reality. In practical terms, Moscow’s initiatives should be supported by real steps and not be limited to verbal declarations about the “return of Russia to Africa,” especially after two solid historic summits. Notwithstanding that, however, Russia-Africa relations have been based on long-standing traditions of friendship and solidarity, according to the SAIIA report.

Currently, the signs for Russia-African relations are impressive – declarations of intentions have been made, a lot of important bilateral agreements signed; now it remains to be seen how these intentions and those several agreements entered into over these years will be implemented in practice, argued Professors Vladimir Shubin and Alexandra Arkhangelskaya both from the Institute for African Studies (IAS) under the Russian Academy of Sciences.

“The most significant positive sign is that Russia has moved away from its low-key strategy to vigorous relations, and authorities are seriously showing readiness to compete with other foreign players. But, Russia needs to find a strategy that reflects the practical interests of Russian business and African development needs,” said Arkhangelskaya, who is also a Lecturer at Moscow’s High School of Economics (HSE). Several research reports have similarly criticized the Kremlin’s policy in Africa.

Ways to Increase Efficiency

One other report was also compiled by 25 Russian experts and was coordinated by Professor Sergey Karaganov, Faculty Dean at Moscow’s High School of Economics. Another policy report, titled ‘Ways to Increase the Efficiency of Russia’s African Strategy under the Crisis of the Existing World Order’ (ISSN 1019-3316, Herald of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2022), co-authored by Professors Irina O. Abramova and Leonid L. Fituni castigated or reprimanded authorities who are squeezed between illusions and realities with policy ambitions in Africa.

Russia has to face corporate business trends or risk losing Africa’s economic landscape.

The authors wrote: “It is time for Russia, which over the past 30 years has unsuccessfully sought to become part of the West, to abandon illusions and reconsider its foreign economic and policy strategy, reorienting itself to states that are turning from outsiders into significant players in the international political and economic space and are willing to interact with our country on a mutually beneficial and equal basis.”

In addition, the report underlined the fact that Russia’s elite demonstrates a somewhat arrogant attitude toward Africa. High-ranking officials have often used the phrase ‘We (that is, Russia) are not Africa’ to oppose attempts at changing the status quo, to change the approach toward Africa. Despite the thoughtless imposition of the idea that Africa is the most backward and problematic region of the world in Russian public opinion, qualified Africanists – including Western experts, call Africa the continent of the 21st century: attributing this to the stable growth rates of the African economy over the past 20 years, and the colossal resource and human potential of the African region.

Professor Fyodor Lukyanov, Chairman of the Presidium of the Russian Commission on Defense and Foreign Policy, Research Director at the Valdai Discussion Club, and Editor of Russia’s Global Affairs journal, believes that there is no intention to build a unified front against the United States and European Union. Simply, BRICS should not, absolutely not, be seen as an anti-Western organization. And that BRICS is by default not confrontational, there is no goal to counterwork the West, rather to bypass it.

In another analysis and from various perspectives, Africa, as a big group of countries with interests that are potentially intertwining and contradicting, can serve both as a model of the future global picture and a strong unit in this world. Notwithstanding all that, Africa has its strengths and weaknesses based on history, but the balance is positive in this new world. Most of the potential success depends on African countries themselves and their ability to build up relations with outside powers on a rational and calculated basis in the current world.

Watching the Chessboard

It is high time to replace the cheap logic of the “grains delivery at no-cost” policy, and go with the logic of ambition to explore burgeoning opportunities, including private investment on the continent, while steadily keeping eagle eyes on long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships. Understandably, one more point has to be made clear in this Russia-Africa analytical argument.  On the chessboard, Russia has been cooperating with Africa, but now it has changed its strategy by using Africa’s political solidarity as an instrument to fight systemic Western domination. Summit recommendations risk remaining merely on paper if the appropriate decisions on investing and transforming the economy are not adopted with cohesion and effectiveness. It is logical to fight Western domination without showing one’s diverse investment powers in those same competitive economic sectors and to shape a new world order encompassing Africa.

Worthy to say that Russia’s image in African countries can be strengthened by placing greater emphasis on the positive aspects of modern Russian-African cooperation and on the visible differences between Russia and Western countries in those specific development projects that Russia is implementing across the continent. There is no other suitable under the present changing circumstances. African leaders are uninterested in geopolitical ideology, but in external financial sources for development and economic growth.

The Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan 2023–2026 still lacks visible execution.

A closer look at global trends and the speed with which the Western system is collapsing and combined with simultaneous competition spread, with the complexities and contradictions, it is really difficult to predict right away how the situation and Africa’s external friends will evolve in the years to come. But the one fact that remains and has to be recognized, Africa is ready for external partners with investment funds, but not coercive and radical anti-Western rhetoric and hyperbolic political criticisms. This is worth keeping in mind as a guide for forging diplomatic relationships with the continent. It is time to act, take strategic decisions to engage in economic sectors in Africa. Enough is enough of sloganeering and political dialogues, Africa needs economic development and growth, Africa has to uplift the large impoverished population, and to attain better living standards.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.