What is Russia looking for in Africa?
Author: Talib Aliyev, analyst (Moscow)
The African continent is confidently leaving the sphere of influence of Western countries and is increasing cooperation with Russia. The new direction brings mutually beneficial prospects for all participants.
According to experts, the GDP of African states by 2050 will reach 29 trillion dollars, and Africa has 5 of the 9 fastest growing economies in the world. This state of affairs causes a high interest in the continent on the part of Russian business. Today, over 30 largest Russian companies operate in Africa.
Active relations with Russia are maintained by: Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, DRC, Egypt, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Liberia, Mauritania, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Sierra -Leone, Tanzania, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, South Africa, South Sudan.
Today, about 1.2 billion people live in Africa, and according to World Bank forecasts, by 2030 it will grow to 1.7 billion. The volume of food markets, which today exceeds $300 billion, will reach $1 trillion by 2030. At the same time, broad opportunities are opening up for Russian investment in agriculture on the African continent. More than half - 65% of the world's arable land is located on its territory, which can be developed with the support of the agro-complex of the Russian Federation.
Africa has good opportunities for the development of railways, mining, and tourism development. Russia has rich experience in working in these areas, and it can share it with its African partners.
Together, Russia and Africa occupy 75 percent of the world diamond mining market, and this is another area for promising cooperation. Also in the field of African-Russian interests: energy, mining, fuel and energy complex, infrastructure construction, transport engineering, banking, and other industries.
Even today, Russian investments in the economy of African states exceed $20 billion, not counting the nuclear power plant project being built in Egypt by Rosatom specialists and estimated at $30 billion.
Russia took over the training of specialists from African countries. There are 27,000 young Africans studying at Russian universities. 5 thousand of them study at the expense of the Russian budget. These people adopt Russian experience and Russian technologies, which will be used in new large-scale projects.
Russia does not consider Africa as a source of poorly educated and cheap labor and refuses to regard the richest continent as an appendage of raw materials for more developed countries. International relations are built on the principles of equality because Russia needs strong and developed partners. This is the only way to achieve maximum efficiency in any project.
Russia and Africa have something to work on and something to build on, the foundation for mutually beneficial cooperation has been laid. The conflict in Ukraine, Western sanctions and the global food crisis are forcing us to take a fresh look at many issues of international cooperation. Today, such issues are given the closest attention.
On the agenda of Russian-African cooperation is the further development of trade, the transition to settlements in national currencies, the adjustment of logistics to circumvent sanctions, and the confrontation with the food crisis, which is painfully affecting many African countries. Moscow, being a leader in the production of wheat and fertilizers, is making every effort to do so. As the Russian authorities assure, the poorest states of Africa will not be left without food even after the end of the grain deal.
In short, Russia is promoting a policy of multipolar and just peace in Africa in all areas and transforming this continent from a hotbed of poverty, oppression, instability, and continuous wars, which is the result of the presence of the West for 400 years, into a center of growth and development, aimed at lasting stability.
A new morning is blowing on the "Black Continent", the morning of stability, development, and freedom...