World
Africa Still Strategic Partner for Russia—Amarasinghe
After the first Russia-Africa Summit held in Sochi, Russia and Africa have opened a new chapter in their relationship. Russia and Africa, during the summit, pledged to take significant steps in raising, both at a bilateral level and in various multilateral formats, cooperation in many spheres. Since the collapse of the Soviet era, Russia has played a low key-diplomacy there, now that is set to change.
For nearly those three decades, many foreign players have been attracted to Africa, primarily, because Africa is steadily striding along the road of socioeconomic and technological progress, and is playing an increasing role in addressing issues on the international agenda.
In this interview taken by Kester Kenn Klomegah for Eurasia Review, Punsara Amarasinghe, who previously held a research fellowship at Faculty of Law, Higher School of Economics in Moscow and now a PhD candidate in Law from Scuola Superiore Universitaria Sant’Anna di Pisa in Italy, discusses some aspects of Russia-African relations.
Amarasinghe further noted that Russia, despite high competition on the continent among many foreign players, could contribute to the sustainable development of African countries. Here are the excerpts:
What is your interpretation of Africa, in practical terms, as a strategic partner for Russia?
Africa has always been a great partner even before Soviet Union emerged. We cannot forget Pushkin’s grandfather was an African …! Nevertheless, the modern importance of Africa as a strategic partner for Russia mainly arises from the way how West has neglected African countries, whereas Russia sees Africa as a better platform to restore its power projection. Russian ventures in Africa can be further bolstered from accessing natural resources and also Russia is the largest arm supplier to Africa. In fact, some Russians have been recruited by Africa states as security advisors.
In the Soviet era, relationship was that of solidarity to confront western capitalism and dominance. What is your reaction to this position? Now, is it strategic business rivalry and/or competition?
In Soviet era, African and Asian states looked for Moscow as a sanctuary, and in return USSR provided many assistance to Africa. Soviet military supply to Egypt was just an example. In addition, Soviet ideology continued to influence upon African youth through Lumumba University.
The reason interest of Russia in Africa cannot be exactly considered a revival of old relationship based on ideology. It is rather a new interest relevant to global realities. As an example, Russia is not the only key player in Africa and we need to understand Chinese have made heavy investment across Africa and China has already established its military presence in Djibouti. In that context, modern interest of Russia in Africa is much strategic than what USSR used to maintain.
Russia’s trade has increased but it is, largely, one-sided. In your opinion, what could be possible reasons why Africa’s trade and other forms of economic presence still low in the Russian Federation?
I think this mainly due to the lack of organizational skills of foreign services. You need to understand that economic presence and getting the maximum economic benefits are always rooted in the power of bargaining from bureaucracy. Especially in a situation, where small countries are dealing with a super power, the bureaucracy of small powers always need to walk an extra mile. This purely visible when Sri Lankan authorities had to push Russia for a fair deal of exporting Sri Lankan tea to Russia in 2017.
Assess Russia’s possible role the sustainable development, as business, in Africa?
Russia is a state always choses realpolitik in its global relations. From a theoretical IR perspective, Russia has chosen strict realism in its relations. Especially, new Russia under Putin strives for more practical benefits rather than seeking ideal outcomes.
However, we cannot entirely discard Russia as a country who has no interest in sustainable development goals as 2015 UN sustainable development goals already have been a part of Russian national agenda. It’s a pity that Russian presence in Africa has much business objectives than preserving sustainability. The recently held Sochi summit was an example for it as it’s played a key role in increasing Russian arm deals in Africa.
At least during the past decade, Russia has a plethora of bilateral agreements still not fully implemented in Africa. In Sochi, Russia and Africa have further signed Summit Declaration. What are your final comments here?
Lack of implementation of agreements is not only a problem that appears only in Africa, even the bilateral agreements signed between Russia and some of South Asian states have not yet been fully implemented. However, the as I stated earlier, Sochi summit was not a just meeting as Russia has shown a serious interest in “competition for cooperation” in Africa, in the recent past through military cooperation and seeking access to natural resources.
How should African leaders show reciprocal support for Russia’s renewed interest in the continent, especially in SDGs in Africa?
The rapport maintained by Moscow with African states during USSR used to be much mutually beneficial one for both parties than how West exploited Africa’s resources. However, the decline of USSR curtailed Russia’s presence in the continent. Yet, the there are some elites still involved in the state machineries in African states who have the nostalgia for Soviet legacy. In such a context, latest interest sparked in Moscow towards renewing their ties with African states has some significance.
In particular, modern Russia will use their old influences to penetrate into Africa. But we need to understand that the geo-political map has been changed in Africa since its past as again Africa has become a place for scramble among modern super powers. As an example, there is a strong French military presence in Mali and US too has its influence over Africa through its permeant base in Djibouti. In such a win-win situation, leaders in African states should reciprocate to Russia alliance without betraying their sovereignty.
In terms of accepting the deal coming from Moscow, African leaders need to be much cautious about the demands of Russia. Since Russia fell under sanctions and also since its confrontation with West, Russia has been putting a great strength to make its relations formidable in Asia and African regions. However, the vision of African leaders must be much focused on gaining Russian support without agitating other powers. It is a fact beyond doubt, still Africa receives more foreign aid from the EU and World Bank and making an unconditional rapport with Moscow may hinder Africa’s relations with the West.
World
Russian-Nigerian Economic Diplomacy: Ajeokuta Symbolises Russia’s Remarkable Achievement in Nigeria
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
Over the past two decades, Russia’s economic influence in Africa—and specifically in Nigeria—has been limited, largely due to a lack of structured financial support from Russian policy banks and state-backed investment mechanisms. While Russian companies have demonstrated readiness to invest and compete with global players, they consistently cite insufficient government financial guarantees as a key constraint.
Unlike China, India, Japan, and the United States—which have provided billions in concessionary loans and credit lines to support African infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing, and SMEs—Russia has struggled to translate diplomatic goodwill into substantial economic projects. For example, Nigeria’s trade with Russia accounts for barely 1% of total trade volume, while China and the U.S. dominate at over 15% and 10% respectively in the last decade. This disparity highlights the challenges Russia faces in converting agreements into actionable investment.
Lessons from Nigeria’s Past
The limited impact of Russian economic diplomacy echoes Nigeria’s own history of unfulfilled agreements during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration. Over the past 20 years, ambitious energy, transport, and industrial initiatives signed with foreign partners—including Russia—often stalled or produced minimal results. In many cases, projects were approved in principle, but funding shortfalls, bureaucratic hurdles, and weak follow-through left them unimplemented. Nothing monumental emerged from these agreements, underscoring the importance of financial backing and sustained commitment.
China as a Model
Policy experts point to China’s systematic approach to African investments as a blueprint for Russia. Chinese state policy banks underwrite projects, de-risk investments, and provide finance often secured by African sovereign guarantees. This approach has enabled Chinese companies to execute large-scale infrastructure efficiently, expanding their presence across sectors while simultaneously investing in human capital.
Egyptian Professor Mohamed Chtatou at the International University of Rabat and Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, argues: “Russia could replicate such mechanisms to ensure companies operate with financial backing and risk mitigation, rather than relying solely on bilateral agreements or political connections.”
Russia’s Current Footprint in Africa
Russia’s economic engagement in Africa is heavily tied to natural resources and military equipment. In Zimbabwe, platinum rights and diamond projects were exchanged for fuel or fighter jets. Nearly half of Russian arms exports to Africa are concentrated in countries like Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. Large-scale initiatives, such as the planned $10 billion nuclear plant in Zambia, have stalled due to a lack of Russian financial commitment, despite completed feasibility studies. Similar delays have affected nuclear projects in South Africa, Rwanda, and Egypt.
Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matviyenko and Senator Igor Morozov have emphasized parliamentary diplomacy and the creation of new financial instruments, such as investment funds under the Russian Export Center, to provide structured support for businesses and enhance trade cooperation. These measures are designed to address historical gaps in financing and ensure that agreements lead to tangible outcomes.
Opportunities and Challenges
Analysts highlight a fundamental challenge: Russia’s limited incentives in Africa. While China invests to secure resources and export markets, Russia lacks comparable commercial drivers. Russian companies possess technological and industrial capabilities, but without sufficient financial support, large-scale projects remain aspirational rather than executable.
The historic Russia-Africa Summits in Sochi and in St. Petersburg explicitly indicate a renewed push to deepen engagement, particularly in the economic sectors. President Vladimir Putin has set a goal to raise Russia-Africa trade from $20 billion to $40 billion over the next few years. However, compared to Asian, European, and American investors, Russia still lags significantly. UNCTAD data shows that the top investors in Africa are the Netherlands, France, the UK, the United States, and China—countries that combine capital support with strategic deployment.
In Nigeria, agreements with Russian firms over energy and industrial projects have yielded little measurable progress. Over 20 years, major deals signed during Obasanjo’s administration and renewed under subsequent governments often stalled at the financing stage. The lesson is clear: political agreements alone are insufficient without structured investment and follow-through.
Strategic Recommendations
For Russia to expand its economic influence in Africa, analysts recommend:
- Structured financial support: Establishing state-backed credit lines, policy bank guarantees, and investment funds to reduce project risks.
- Incentive realignment: Identifying sectors where Russian expertise aligns with African needs, including energy, industrial technology, and infrastructure.
- Sustained implementation: Turning signed agreements into tangible projects with clear timelines and milestones, avoiding the pitfalls of unfulfilled past agreements.
With proper financial backing, Russia can leverage its technological capabilities to diversify beyond arms sales and resource-linked deals, enhancing trade, industrial, and technological cooperation across Africa.
Conclusion
Russia’s Africa strategy remains a work in progress. Nigeria’s experience with decades of agreements that failed to materialize underscores the importance of structured financial commitments and persistent follow-through. Without these, Russia risks remaining a peripheral player (virtual investor) while Arab States such as UAE, China, the United States, and other global powers consolidate their presence.
The potential is evident: Africa is a fast-growing market with vast natural resources, infrastructure needs, and a young, ambitious population. Russia’s challenge—and opportunity—is to match diplomatic efforts with financial strategy, turning political ties into lasting economic influence.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Africa Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has urged African governments to lean into structural tailwinds, warning that the global commodity landscape has entered a new phase of deepening split.
In its November 2025 commodity bulletin, the bank noted that markets are no longer moving in unison; instead, some are powered by structural demand while others are weakening under oversupply, shifting consumption patterns and weather-related dynamics.
As a result of this bifurcation, the Cairo-based lender tasked policymakers on the continent to manage supply-chain vulnerabilities and diversify beyond the commodity-export model.
The report highlights that commodities linked to energy transition, infrastructure development and geopolitical realignments are gaining momentum.
For instance, natural gas has risen sharply from 2024 levels, supported by colder-season heating needs, export disruptions around the Red Sea and tightening global supply. Lithium continues to surge on strong demand from electric-vehicle and battery-storage sectors, with growth projections of up to 45 per cent in 2026. Aluminium is approaching multi-year highs amid strong construction and automotive activity and smelter-level power constraints, while soybeans are benefiting from sustained Chinese purchases and adverse weather concerns in South America.
Even crude oil, which accounts for Nigeria’s highest foreign exchange earnings, though still lower year-on-year, is stabilising around $60 per barrel as geopolitical supply risks, including drone attacks on Russian facilities, offset muted global demand.
In contrast, several commodities that recently experienced strong rallies are now softening.
The bank noted that cocoa prices are retreating from record highs as West African crop prospects improve and inventories recover. Palm oil markets face oversupply in Southeast Asia and subdued demand from India and China, pushing stocks to multi-year highs. Sugar is weakening under expectations of a nearly two-million-tonne global surplus for the 2025/26 season, while platinum and silver are seeing headwinds from weaker industrial demand, investor profit-taking and hawkish monetary signals.
For Africa, the bank stresses that the implications are clear. Countries aligned with energy-transition metals and infrastructure-linked commodities stand to benefit from more resilient long-term demand.
It urged those heavily exposed to softening agricultural markets to accelerate a shift into processing, value addition and product diversification.
The bulletin also called for stronger market-intelligence systems, improved intra-African trade connectivity, and investment in logistics and regulatory capacity, noting that Africa’s competitiveness will depend on how quickly governments adapt to the new two-speed global environment.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A strategic partnership designed to accelerate worldwide enterprise adoption and monetisation of Network APIs has been entered into between Comviva and the global aggregator of standardised network APIs, Aduna.
The adoption would be done through Comviva’s flagship SaaS-based platform for programmable communications and network intelligence, NGAGE.ai.
The partnership combines Comviva’s NGAGE.ai platform and enterprise onboarding expertise with Aduna’s global operator consortium.
This unified approach provides enterprises with secure, scalable access to network intelligence while enabling telcos to monetise network capabilities efficiently.
The collaboration is further strengthened by Comviva’s proven leadership in the global digital payments and digital lending ecosystem— sectors that will be among the biggest adopters of Network APIs.
The NGAGE.ai platform is already active across 40+ countries, integrated with 100+ operators, and processing over 250 billion transactions annually for more than 7,000 enterprise customers. With its extensive global deployment, NGAGE.ai is positioned as one of the most scalable and trusted platforms for API-led network intelligence adoption.
“As enterprises accelerate their shift toward real-time, intelligence-driven operations, Network APIs will become foundational to digital transformation. With NGAGE.ai and Aduna’s global ecosystem, we are creating a unified and scalable pathway for enterprises to adopt programmable communications at speed and at scale.
“This partnership strengthens our commitment to helping telcos monetise network intelligence while enabling enterprises to build differentiated, secure, and future-ready digital experiences,” the chief executive of Comviva, Mr Rajesh Chandiramani, stated.
Also, the chief executive of Aduna, Mr Anthony Bartolo, noted that, “The next wave of enterprise innovation will be powered by seamless access to network intelligence.
“By integrating Comviva’s NGAGE.ai platform with Aduna’s global federation of operators, we are enabling enterprises to innovate consistently across markets with standardised, high-performance Network APIs.
“This collaboration enhances the value chain for operators and gives enterprises the confidence and agility needed to launch new services, reduce fraud, and deliver more trustworthy customer experiences worldwide.”
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