Shared historical memory, educational and scientific cooperation, as well as industrial cooperation are sine qua non for the progressive development of the Russian-African strategic partnership, Denis Degterev writes.
On July 28, the 3rd Russian-African Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club was held in Pretoria, following which several conclusions can be made about the prospects for Russian-African relations, about mutual expectations, and about the perception of these relations among researchers from the Russian Federation and Africa.
First, the event was dedicated to historical memory and shared heritage in the fight against colonialism, which the authors of the conference report, Daria Zelenova and Sanusha Naidu, called “a solid foundation for a strategic partnership”. It is noteworthy that this theme applies not only to the Soviet period, but also to the pre-revolutionary period and the modern Russian Federation. Both Russian and African participants noted the spirit of anti-hegemonic solidarity and a common sense of justice among the peoples of Russia and Africa throughout the 20th century. This was characteristic of Russian volunteers who sided with the Boers in the early 20th century, in the context of internationalist solidarity in the fight against colonialists in Southern Africa in the 1960s-1980s, and in the formation of a multipolar world through joint participation, for example, in BRICS activities, already in the 21st century. In addition to South Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia have already become members of BRICS, and Nigeria and Uganda are partners of the organisation.
Second, over the past few years, the perception of Russia-Africa cooperation on the continent has seriously lagged behind the accelerating dynamics of bilateral relations. Following the start of the Special Military Operation, the Russian Federation returned to the multiple formats of interaction with the continent that were familiar to the USSR in the 1960s-1980s, including in the humanitarian sphere. Thus, the number of Africans studying in Russian universities in most areas has reached 30,000 people and already exceeds Soviet figures. At the same time, the Russian Federation, like the USSR, has not contributed to the “brain drain” from Africa; the overwhelming majority of African students leave Russia after completing their studies.
In August 2021, at the initiative of the Ministry of Education and Science, the Russian-African Network University (RAFU) was created, which included dozens of Russian universities with experience interacting with Africa. The Russian Ministry of Education assigned two African countries to each of the regional pedagogical universities in Russia, where Open Education Centres were opened (primarily for studying the Russian language). Most pedagogical universities have successfully coped with this task, their representatives today conduct field research in African countries, and offer innovative methods of studying the Russian language. Russian teachers are preparing textbooks in African languages, contributing to their popularisation. A number of Russian universities, such as RUDN, are considering the possibility of opening branches in Africa. One can wonder how many of the world’s leading universities have opened campuses on the continent?
The above changes, which have occurred literally in the past two or three years, have not yet been fully realised in Africa. Experts and media critical of the Russian Federation are still broadcasting narratives that bilateral relations remain mainly in the past; that other “development partners” contribute more; that the main export product is the AK-47; that there are no new youth-oriented humanitarian cooperation projects… All of this is absolutely untrue. It is time to change the rhetoric.
The Valdai Club Russian-African conferences, which have become regular events and have been held for the second year in a row on the continent, are called upon to play an important role in “resetting” such narratives.
However, conferences alone are not enough. A serious intensification of bilateral media dialogue is needed, with access to dozens of African media outlets accredited in Moscow and dozens of Russian media outlets operating on the continent.
Educational cooperation also requires a “fine-tuning” – in addition to programmes for studying the Russian language on the continent (with the subsequent training of Africans in Russian universities), joint projects are also needed to study Russia, to jointly train highly qualified personnel (postgraduate and doctoral studies), and to implement joint research programmes. Encouraging progress has already begun. Thus, on March 20, 2025, at a press conference, dedicated to the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the presentation of a book titled Solidarity in the Struggle Against Apartheid: Memories in Russia and South Africa took place, prepared within the framework of a joint grant from the Russian Federation and South Africa (headed by Vladimir Shubin from Russia and Sifiso Ndlovu from South Africa). The book was published in Russian in the Russian Federation (Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences), and in English in South Africa. Dozens of such projects are needed, and then the time lag in the perception of bilateral cooperation will be reduced to a minimum, as well as mutual distortions in the perception of bilateral relations. It is also important to update scientific cooperation, including with the participation of the Institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Third, against the background of Donald Trump’s statements about the reindustrialisation of the United States, Africans have expressed certain hopes for the industrialisation of their own continent, the formation of regional value chains, and an increase in the share of natural resources processed on the continent. They understand that the practical implementation of these plans is directly related to the manifestation of “African agency”, the willingness of Africans to say “no” to those projects of external partners that only strengthen the dependent position of the continent as a supplier of unprocessed natural resources.
In this context, in a conversation at the Valdai Club conference, participants suddenly recalled the historical figure of “Mr. No” – the Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs (1957-1985) Andrei Gromyko. His decisive refusals to the hegemonic forces were supported by the entire military, economic and scientific might of the USSR. Today, Africa is also experiencing a serious demand to increase its own economic and military power, as well as to strengthen the scientific and technical potential of the continent’s states. Many states associate this demand, among other things, with Russia.
Meanwhile, the Russian Federation has significantly increased its trade turnover with the continent. In 2001-2011, trade in goods increased almost eight-fold (from 1.6 to 12.1 billion US dollars). If in 2013, Russia’s trade turnover with African countries amounted to 9.9 billion dollars, then by 2021, it increased to 17.7 billion dollars, and in 2023, it reached 24.5 billion US dollars. The potential for further extensive growth of mutual trade is gradually decreasing.
Today, Russia is entering a second, more complex and profound level of cooperation – joint industrial projects, the result of which will be the creation of energy facilities, as well as infrastructure and processing industries on the continent. Among the flagship infrastructure projects are the construction of the El Dabaa NPP in Egypt by Rosatom, which has been underway since 2017, as well as the construction of an oil pipeline along the Pointe-Noire – Loutete – Maloukou – Trechot route (Republic of the Congo) by a joint venture (between Russia’s Zakneftegazstroy-Prometey and the National Oil Company of Congo).
In many ways, energy acts as the flagship of bilateral investment cooperation, it is this that allows us to form a reserve for industrial cooperation. It is noteworthy that Alexander Novak, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, paid a working visit to the countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger) in November 2024, and at the end of July 2025, Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilev also visited three countries of the Alliance of Sahel States, while holding the first meeting of the bilateral intergovernmental commission in Mali. The delegations on both trips included representatives of several federal ministries and large Russian companies, discussing projects for the development of industrial cooperation. The successful implementation of the plans will allow for mutually beneficial projects, significantly strengthening the industrial potential of the countries of the continent.
Shared historical memory, educational and scientific cooperation, as well as industrial cooperation are sine qua non for the progressive development of the Russian-African strategic partnership.
Views expressed are of individual Members and Contributors, rather than the Club's, unless explicitly stated otherwise.