Russia Hosts Inaugural Russia-Africa Summit

More than 3,000 delegates from all 54 African countries attended the Africa-Russia summit on October 23. (Kremlin)

African leaders arrived in the southern Russia resort city of Sochi on October 23 for a two-day conference intended to strengthen African-Russian relations. More than 3,000 delegates from all 54 African countries attended, including 43 heads of state. This meeting is the first of what is intended to be a recurring summit aimed at building stronger political and economic ties between the regions. 

While the summit was largely a cultural exchange, it had major implications for power politics. As Russian hosts in traditional garb passed out Russian treats, Russian and African leaders discussed common issues including nuclear energy and natural resource extraction. Russian President Vladimir Putin called for the summit to re-establish Russian relations with Africa that disintegrated after the fall of the Soviet Union. 

In his opening speech, Putin detailed his goals for the two regions, including joint efforts in “extractive industries, agriculture, healthcare, and education.” He also expressed his intention to expand military cooperation between Russia and African countries. Currently, Asia dominates arms sales in Africa, and Putin plans to change this by heavily expanding Russian weapons sales in the region. As a first step, Russia delivered two nuclear-capable bomber planes to South Africa on the first day of the summit. In addition, Russia will double its food exports to Africa, offer aid in combating the Ebola virus, and provide training to African leaders at Russian universities. 

Russia is looking to compete with Chinese investment in Africa. Since 2000, China has invested billions of dollars a year in Africa through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which is China’s yearly summit with Africa. This has not been without controversy, however. According to the Brookings Institution, Chinese foreign investment is labeled as “neo-colonialism” and a “debt trap” for poor African nations.

In contrast, Putin has promised that Russian involvement in Africa will “refrain from ‘political or other’ influence.” Putin’s strategy is to distinguish Russia from other foreign powers whose relationships with African nations may be contingent on reform or other political progress. In his critique of current foreign involvement in Africa, Putin said of western Europe and the United States, “We see how an array of Western countries are resorting to pressure, intimidation, and blackmail of sovereign African governments.” 

Russian influence in Africa has a mixed history. While the country had very limited reach after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the Cold War era was full of Russo-African interaction. At its height, the Soviet Union supported leftist and nationalist political movements on the continent, backing insurgencies in the Republic of the Congo, Algeria, and Angola. During the Cold War, Africa was a main arena for proxy conflict between Russia and the United States. 

While Western media has derided Russia for being “late to the party,” Russia has publicized the summit heavily, calling it a success for the country’s goal to expand geopolitical influence. The Moscow Times endorsed the event, captioning two leaders smiling together, one in military garb, “This looks like more fun than any conference we've ever attended.”