Why has no African country joined in on sanctions against Russia? What is the role of our country in consolidating Africa’s place in the multipolar world? Why do Russia and Africa need each other and in which African countries will Russian diplomatic missions soon be opened?
– Mrs Dovgalenko, congratulations on your appointment as Director of the Department for Partnership with Africa at the Russian Foreign Ministry. Does the creation of this department mean that cooperation with the African continent is reaching a qualitatively new level? What are the main goals? And, in general, why do Russia and Africa need each other?
– Thank you very much. Your question may be answered affirmatively en bref. Today, when Russian-African relations are undergoing a renaissance after the period of inattention caused by the collapse of the USSR and a period of qualitative transformation is underway, the creation of a new structure in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs testifies to the unconditional priority of this area for us, a long-term choice in favour of strengthening ties with the Global South and to the attention that the Russian leadership pays to Africa.
The Department’s absolute priority is to implement the tasks set by the President of Russia, taking into account the agreements with his African colleagues following the Russia-Africa summits, and to bring joint activities within the framework of the Partnership Forum to a new level.
The Department includes the Secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, established in 2020, tasked with preparing and organising Russian-African meetings at the high and highest levels, facilitating other events in the Russia-Africa format, as well as coordinating the implementation of agreements signed between departments and with African partners. In this sense, I will continue the work that I started as ambassador at large last autumn together with the same team of enthusiasts.
My work is based on the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan for 2023-2026, approved at the highest level. The document covers a wide range of spheres of cooperation, from security, trade and investment to education, agriculture, science, culture and others, with a deadline set for 2026.
Another key area is increasing our cooperation with African integration associations. I am referring, first of all, to the largest organisation and the representative of the united voice of the continent: the African Union and its organs. There are also plans to further institutionalise relations with the East African Community (EAC), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). Of course, this is an incomplete list. There are other organisations on the continent and new alliances are emerging.
Thus, on April 3, Moscow hosted the first meeting of foreign ministers in the format Russia-Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a young integration association that includes Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. In short, everything that does not relate to bilateral relations (i.e. multilateral formats and mechanisms in Africa, including financial, parliamentary, etc.) is the competence of our Department.
The pursuit of genuine sovereignty, justice and a more democratic world order, free from diktat and double standards, based on respect for the norms of international law in their entirety, the equality of states, the consideration of each people’s interests and the recognition of their distinctive culture and traditions is a constant of Russian-African relations. This was the case during the period of decolonisation, when for many years our country selflessly supported Africans in the heroic struggle for freedom and independence, promoted the formation of young states, strengthened their economies and defence capabilities, and trained personnel.
This is also the case now, when we are once again joining forces in solving global problems and building a truly multipolar world. In this sense, Russia and Africa are natural allies.
It is important that our African partners consider Russia one of the leaders of the emerging polycentric system of international relations, capable of actually defending its sovereignty and assisting other states in this matter.
– You recently stated that “we are witnessing the ‘second awakening’ of Africa, which is playing an increasingly important role in world affairs”. What is Russia’s role in consolidating Africa’s place in a multipolar world?
– The Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation, approved in March 2023, by Russian President Vladimir Putin, clearly states our country’s intention to “contribute to the further development of Africa as an authentic and influential centre of global development”.
Russia has consistently advocated strengthening the continent’s position within a multipolar world, supports the aspirations of African partners to obtain a permanent status in the UN Security Council, insists on reforming global financial and trade institutions – taking into account, amongst other things, the interests of African countries – and welcomes the successful development of integration processes on the continent.
Russia continues to help the countries of the continent to defend their interests, including in the fight against neo-colonial practices. An important step in this direction was the adoption of Resolution 79/115 (‘Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence of Colonial Countries and Peoples: eradicating colonialism in all its forms and manifestations’) by the UN General Assembly on December 4, 2024. The document was prepared by the Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter (from Africa: Algeria, Zimbabwe, Mali, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea) and Russia played a key role. The resolution calls for considering the establishment of the International Day against Colonialism on December 14.
With the active assistance of Russia, in September 2023, the African Union became a permanent member of the G20, which makes the collective voice of Africans in world affairs more significant.
The interest of African states in BRICS is growing. Today, South Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia are full members of the association, and this January Nigeria and Uganda joined as partner states. During the Russian presidency of BRICS last year, we steadily promoted a common vision for a just multipolar world order based on respect for the sovereignty of all states.
Finally, it is worth noting that Russia is implementing various projects in Africa aimed at strengthening the continent’s food, energy and economic sovereignty and, consequently, its role as an independent pole of the emerging polycentric system of international relations.
– In 2023, the US Congress passed the ‘Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act’. According to Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Konstantin Kosachev, “the United States is, in fact, telling African countries: if you cooperate with Russia, you will violate the law, and for this, we will punish you in every possible way. No more, no less”. Nevertheless, despite strong pressure, not a single African country has joined in on the sanctions against Russia. What, in your opinion, played a key role in this process?
– Africa is well aware of the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis and the role of the West in fuelling it. Many countries of the continent take an independent and principled position of non-interference in conflicts outside their region, including in regards to the Special Military Operation. Non-alignment with sanctions against Russia is a clear demonstration of the firm and confident position of our African partners, who have not succumbed to pressure from the West, and their choice in favour of constructive relations with Russia.
The built-up friendship and cooperation, the traditions of trust and mutual support that Russia has developed with African countries also played a positive role. They remember clearly the weighty and selfless contribution of the USSR to the struggle of the African peoples for freedom and independence, and Moscow’s assistance in strengthening sovereignty, defence capabilities and the development of the continent’s young states’ economies. With their burdensome colonial past, Africans are extremely sensitive to issues of external diktat and, unlike Europeans, do not want to betray their own history in favour of other people’s immediate interests.
In addition, many African countries have been through – and some are still going through such a period – serious sanctions pressure and the notorious double standards. The continent knows first-hand what illegitimate unilateral restrictive measures are and understands their selectivity, unreasonableness and injustice.
– Today’s Africa is an arena of global conflict between the geopolitical interests of world powers, one of which is Russia. We need to increase the volume of cooperation with African countries. How can we do this? What are our ‘trump cards’ compared to China and the United States? And to what extent is Russian business interested in implementing major investment projects on the African continent today?
– We believe that Africa is not an arena for geopolitical rivalry, but a space of mutually beneficial cooperation to be developed in an exclusively equal and respectful manner. Our obvious advantage is that we do not tell Africans whom to be friends with or which partners to choose. We respect their sovereignty and national interests not in words, but in deeds.
With regard to increasing the volume of Russian-African cooperation, we focus on the needs of Africans themselves and our competitive advantages.
Despite all possible restrictions created by the West, our country responsibly fulfils its international obligations in terms of the supply of food and fertilisers. Thus, in 2024, Russian exports of agricultural products to African countries increased by almost 20%, exceeding $7 billion and covering 45 countries of the continent. In addition, Russia is highly interested in improving the efficiency of the agricultural sector in African countries and their food self-sufficiency.
Russia is an experienced player in the global energy market. We can provide Africa with comprehensive solutions to strengthen its own energy base: the construction and modernisation of hydroelectric power plants, the development of nuclear energy, as well as the use of natural gas as an environmentally friendly fuel. The creation of processing facilities, including the production of fertilisers, is a priority that meets the interests of the states in the region.
The African continent is striving for a technological breakthrough, and its young population demands modern IT solutions and affordable technological products. Our country is ready to offer competitive technologies, from telecommunications to high-tech industries, at competitive prices and without political conditions.
Our historical experience of implementing infrastructure projects in the countries of the Global South is another advantage for us. Russia demonstrates a partnership approach rather than a consumer one; it creates, not exploits.
An important competitive component of our cooperation is the development of the necessary financial and settlement infrastructure, including a reliable system of mutual payments in order to ensure the security of trade, economic and investment cooperation between Russia and Africa, regardless of the political and economic situation.
Russian economic operators have not only shown interest, but have also been successfully operating in various sectors of the African economy for a long time, including the industries of oil and gas, nuclear energy, chemicals, transport engineering, geological exploration, mining, agriculture and fishing.
The most ambitious and in many ways significant Russian project in Africa is Rosatom’s construction of the largest nuclear power plant on the continent, El Dabaa. ALROSA has been exploring and mining diamonds in Angola and Zimbabwe for many years. RUSAL is developing bauxite-alumina deposits in Guinea. LUKOIL is implementing oil projects in Egypt, Cameroon, operation, Nigeria and the Republic of the Congo. It is worth noting Yandex’s active activity in Africa, providing its digital taxi ordering service ‘Yango’ in many countries of the continent (Zambia, Cameroon, Senegal, DRC, Namibia, Mozambique, Côte d’Ivoire, Angola, Ethiopia, Morocco) and continues to expand its business.
Considering the current dynamics of Russian-African cooperation and the large number of promising projects in Africa, there is no doubt that the involvement of our companies on the continent will only expand.
– To what extent are African countries interested in joint social projects with Russia? For example, in the fields of education or healthcare?
– Education has traditionally remained one of the most dynamic areas of Russian-African cooperation. Since the continent gained independence, hundreds of thousands of Africans (doctors, technicians, engineers, officers, teachers) have received professional training thanks to our assistance.
Russian education continues to be prestigious and is in great demand among Africans, being a kind of quality mark. Today, over 32,000 African students study at our universities, of which more than 8,000 are on a budget basis. Since 2022, the quota of scholarships for Africa has more than doubled to encompass 4,800 places. The most popular areas of study are medicine, economics, energy, international relations and construction. Specialties in the field of agriculture are increasingly in demand.
Russia is actively developing inter-university relations with African partners and creating modern educational digital platforms, among them the Russian-African Network University, the Russian-African Consortium of Technical Universities ‘The Subsoil of Africa’, the Russian-African Network Transport University.
The initiatives of the Russian Ministry of Education to create open education centres on the continent (their number has reached 27) and to train teachers in specialties in demand among Africans has contributed significantly to the popularisation of our education in Africa. The international humanitarian project ‘Russian Teacher Abroad’ is being implemented jointly with the national ministries of education of partner countries and is aimed at promoting the Russian language and Russian education (in 2025 it will be implemented in Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Libya, Cameroon, Ghana).
As for healthcare, our African friends express interest in cooperation on fighting non-communicable and infectious diseases, training and advanced training of medical specialists, the supply of Russian medicines and medical products, as well as expanding the coverage of medical care using mobile diagnostic complexes developed and used in Russia and digital technologies in medicine.
Russia is already taking practical steps in this direction. In addition to educating African students at Russian medical universities, specialists from interested countries are organising visits to our medical and educational institutions with demonstrations of domestic technologies. With the support of Rospotrebnadzor, African states receive mobile laboratories for the detection and monitoring of infectious diseases. Russian doctors are assisting their African colleagues in the diagnosis and treatment of dangerous epidemiological diseases such as cholera, Ebola and monkeypox. Modern Russian test systems that have proven their effectiveness are used. On April 23-25, the first Russian-African international exercises of rapid response to sanitary and epidemiological emergencies took place in Addis Ababa.
– Recently, several Russian diplomatic missions have opened in Africa, in Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone and Niger. Which countries are next?
– The expansion of the network of Russian diplomatic missions is a clear confirmation of our return to Africa and large-scale plans to develop relations with the countries of the continent. In 2024, after a break of more than 30 years, the Russian embassies in Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea were reopened. This year, the diplomatic missions of our country in Niger and Sierra Leone will resume their activities, an embassy in South Sudan will be opened for the first time. Plans for the near future include the establishment of diplomatic missions in The Gambia, Liberia, the Union of the Comoros and Togo.
– In rounding up, the traditional question of our magazine: what is your Africa like? What attracts and fascinates you about it?
– We live in a world of stereotypes. “Don’t go for a walk in Africa, children!” (note: this is a line from one of the poems in Chukovskii’s famous 1925 children’s book ‘Barmalei’). These lines do not just sound like a playful warning. The continent is still associated with danger, unpredictability and even chaos. I would like to dispel such a one-sided view, replacing fear with curiosity, interest and maybe even admiration!
In reality, Africa is not only an ancient land where humanity originated, but also a unique region of the world with unparalleled diversity. “Some birds with emerald feathers in their long tails flew from there”, wrote the Russian poet Nikolai Gumilev. More than two thousand languages and countless dialects are spoken on the mainland, and the destinies of hundreds of nationalities are intertwined, forming a complex mosaic of traditions, cultures and beliefs with centuries-old roots.
Dozens of ethnic groups and tribes can coexist in one country, each with its own customs and way of life. From the mesmerising ornaments on West African fabrics to the dynamic rhythms of drums, from the solemnity of Masai rituals to the refined plasticity of African sculpture, everything here literally screams about its authenticity.
One may talk endlessly about the natural diversity and exoticism of the African continent, but one must not forget that Africa is, first of all, people. I was lucky enough to get to know representatives of African countries more closely during my work in Paris as Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to UNESCO. I was immediately captivated by the sincerity, openness and genuine friendliness of my African colleagues. They are distinguished by the ability – rare for modern diplomacy – to build truly trusting relationships beyond the formalities established by protocol. However, I was perhaps most of all inspired by the enviable unity that they demonstrated within the organisation, defending common positions and interests and acting as a united front on behalf of Africa in its entirety. This solidarity is not just a tactical calculation, but, in my opinion, a reflection of the deep African philosophy of Ubuntu, when the collective good is put above the individual; ‘I exist because we exist’. If everyone in international relations were guided by this wonderful principle, the world would be a much better place.
Interview by Yulia NOVITSKAYA, writer, journalist, correspondent for New Eastern Outlook
