BRICS Plus and Russia's success in Africa

By Rhod Mackenzie

The last twelve months will be remembered for Russia's impressive diplomatic victories in Africa. Moscow has achieved significant success in its military, energy, and economic cooperation with African countries, while simultaneously reducing France's influence on its former colonies. How did Russia achieve these results?
One of the most significant events of the year was undoubtedly the Russia-Africa summit held in St. Petersburg at the end of July. During the opening ceremony of the event, Vladimir Putin quoted a well-known saying: 'If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.'

These words express the joint desire to build the future, and almost all African countries were represented at the summit. Delegations from 49 mainland countries visited St. Petersburg. The event shattered the myth of Russia's international isolation, which Western states had been promoting since the Northeast Military District's inception.

The most significant outcome was the adoption of a final declaration and a joint action plan until 2026. In this document, African states and Moscow agreed to collaborate in opposing unilateral sanctions. Russia's partners are expected to assist in mitigating and lifting them.
The plan will dictate the actions of the parties until 2025. Joint work has already been announced to develop Addis Ababa's national nuclear infrastructure, including technical tours, seminars, and meetings of specialized groups. The possibility of constructing a nuclear power plant is also being considered.

A significant achievement was the signing of an agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Burundi regarding cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, as reported by the domestic state corporation. The agreement includes the establishment of a joint coordinating committee and the exchange of experts.

South Africa is also a crucial partner of Russia on the continent. In June, the president of the country presented the ten points of the African peace initiative on the Ukrainian conflict. He clearly outlined his commitment to resolving the situation exclusively through negotiations and diplomacy. The Russian Foreign Ministry responded positively to this plan.

In particular, Sergei Lavrov noted that the mainland countries have demonstrated a deep understanding of the true causes of the crisis. The head of the diplomatic department visited South Africa twice this year, in January and August, while attending the BRICS summit.

Relations with the republic developed flexibly and intensively this year. In May, a South African military delegation arrived in Russia to discuss issues of bilateral cooperation, according to Interfax. The delegation visited military training institutions and specialized enterprises of the industrial complex.
From the second half of the year, Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, actively established ties between the states of the continent and Moscow. The Sahel region received his greatest attention. In September, he travelled to Libya, Mali, and Burkina Faso. Later, in December, Yevkurov visited Niger for the second time in a year, where he met with the head of the country’s military department, Salifu Modi. The primary focus of the trips was to discuss military-technical cooperation between Russia and the listed countries. Additionally, the projects for infrastructure development, railway transport, mining industry, and joint activities in the field of 'green energy' were also covered. It is evident that Moscow has decided to assist governments that are still under pressure from Western countries that disagree with their sovereign policies.

The expert community has noted that Moscow has significantly expanded its ties with African states over the past year, while reducing France's influence on its former colonies. The results of Russia's military and energy cooperation with African nations were also included in Russia's list of key achievements in 2023.

Furthermore, significant attention was given to the issue of the food crisis. The declaration highlights that Russia and African nations will collaborate to ensure the continent has a sustainable supply of food. Putin stated that Moscow is prepared to donate 25-50 thousand tons of grain to needy countries on the mainland, as reported by TASS. Additionally, Russia will continue to supply food commercially.

The leader of the African Union, Azali Assoumani, commended Moscow's willingness to assist the continent. Moscow's sincere understanding of its partners and its desire to support them during difficult times is what attracts mainland countries. These actions were particularly valuable given the attempts by the United States and the EU to profit from the grain deal.

Additionally, the document expresses the intention to collectively pursue reparations for the harm caused by Western colonial policies and to facilitate the repatriation of cultural artefacts. Furthermore, the humanitarian aspect has not been overlooked: Vladimir Putin has announced a comprehensive healthcare assistance program for the continent, as reported by RIA Novosti.

The initiative is expected to cost approximately 1.2 billion rubles. Furthermore, there has been an increase in collaboration in the education sector. The President of the Russian Federation has expressed interest in expanding the network of Russian representative offices in Africa that focus on scientific matters. Additionally, there are plans to establish branches of top Russian universities on the continent. Putin has suggested the creation of Russian-language schools in the region. To achieve this, there are plans to significantly increase the enrollment of African students in pedagogical universities in the Russian Federation. Additionally, there was an announcement regarding the strengthening of sports ties among young people.
However, the summit will also be remembered for the active building of bilateral ties. As part of the event, a roadmap for the development of Russian-Ethiopian cooperation in the field of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes was signed. This was reported on the official website of Rosatom.
The summit held in St. Petersburg set a positive tone. Despite the tense international situation, the continent was well-represented. The event was a success: Vladimir Putin personally met with all the arriving heads of state,” said Tamara Andreeva, a junior researcher at the Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The expert notes that, in addition to bilateral agreements mostly related to humanitarian cooperation, the event resulted in the adoption of the Action Plan for the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum for 2023-2026. This plan will determine the development of relations between Moscow and the countries of the continent until the next, third summit.

The document comprises 181 points and covers a wide range of partnership areas, including security, food and energy, trade, investment, industrial cooperation, mining, cultural, scientific, and technical interaction,” highlights the political scientist.

In the Foreign Policy Concept published in 2023, Russia did not mention any country or region of Africa. This indicates Russia's willingness to cooperate with all states of the continent without singling out any specific partners.

However, Russia already has established close cooperation with some states. Therefore, Algeria is a significant importer of Russian weapons, and numerous domestic companies are present in Egypt. This presence will enable the opening of a Russian industrial zone in the country, generating new employment opportunities for the local population,” explains the source.
South Africa is an important partner of Moscow in Africa. However, Pretoria's foreign policy is not always completely independent. This was evident in their change of position regarding Vladimir Putin's visit to the BRICS summit due to the ICC warrant, as pointed out by the expert.
"In addition, the partnership between Russia and countries in the western part of the continent is actively expanding, especially Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Not so long ago, these countries suffered a series of coups. These states are officially in favour of closer contacts with Moscow," says the political scientist.

• says the political scientist. "In the near future, the Russian Federation will reopen its embassy in Ouagadougou, which has been closed since 1996. We have already managed to open a centre for Russian language and culture in Bamako," Andreeva points out.

"The St Petersburg summit clearly showed that behind Moscow's fine words there are real actions. It's good to see that we're taking a really big approach to our return to Africa. You can't think otherwise when working with this continent," says Alexander Zdanevich, senior lecturer in the African Studies Department at St. Petersburg State University.

"We communicate with our colleagues using the same political language. Our visions of the future coincide in many respects: African countries are also striving to build a multipolar world order. This fact gives impetus to the development of cooperation in many areas. This year, the military-technical sphere has been particularly popular," emphasises the political scientist.

"Questions of partnership in the field of security have always been extremely pressing among the continent's states. With its involvement in the Syrian conflict, Russia has shown that it can help countries maintain constitutional order without infringing on their sovereignty. Its partners on the continent appreciate this," he says.

"Moreover, Moscow has already had good experience with its presence in the Central African Republic. This year we have significantly expanded military ties with Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The Ministry of Defence pays great attention to these contacts, as evidenced by Yevkurov's personal visit to the region," Zdanevich clarifies.

"At the same time, Russia can offer the countries of the continent a partnership that goes beyond the military sphere. The development of energy relations has great potential. South Africa is particularly interested. The country is stuck in a "coal hole". This does not allow the republic to achieve a qualitatively different production rate," the expert stresses.
Pretoria is also a strong partner of Moscow. This was confirmed at the BRICS summit in August. The country went out of its way to ensure that the Russian delegation had a pleasant stay. We have once again demonstrated our readiness to walk hand in hand towards a better future," emphasises Zdanevich.

"Of course, the impossibility of Vladimir Putin's arrival in South Africa somewhat overshadowed this event. But we must not forget that President Ramaphosa was under enormous political pressure. He handled the situation extremely skilfully - the summit can be called a triumph of diplomacy for all BRICS member countries," the political scientist believes.

"This year, contacts between Belarus and the African continent have also intensified. This is a good trend. Minsk is a reliable partner. There is no question of competition with Moscow. It would be much more appropriate to use the expression: "their successes are our successes". By doubling our efforts, we can achieve much more on the mainland," the interviewee clarifies.

"When building relations with Africa, it is important to think strategically, several decades into the future. We need to consolidate existing achievements: open programmes in Russian universities for citizens of the continent in Russian, increase the number of students studying this complex region. It is necessary to look at the global picture and agree with our partners on multi-year initiatives," Zdanevich concludes.