In a February decree posted to the official portal of legal information,
Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed his aide Yuri Ushakov to chair
the organizing committee paving the way for the first Russia-Africa summit that
Moscow plans to host in Sochi. The Russian government is to ensure financing of
the expenditures related to hosting the summit and the decree has further
assigned Roscongress, a major organizer of international conventions,
exhibitions and public events, the task performer.
The idea to hold a Russia-Africa forum was initiated by President Putin at the
BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in Johannesburg in
July 2018. This first Russia-Africa summit will definitely enhance mutual
multifaceted ties, reshape diplomatic relationship and significantly to
roll-out ways to increase effectiveness of cooperation between Russia and
Africa.
Policy experts have suggested, however, that Kremlin has to substantiate its
future African policy agenda with consistency, activeness and support, and
enhance its participation in the economic development of Africa.
“Indeed, through the summit, Russia has to discover specific expectations,
new directions and how to deal with Africa. The games there have completely
changed, many global players have also adopted investment strategies more
appealing and acceptable for Africans,” Dr. Kelvin Dewey Stubborn, South
African based Senior Analyst on BRICS and African policy, told me by email from
South Africa.
To that end, he suggested that “the Russia-Africa summit has to focus
discussions on new development-oriented thinking and how to transfer Russian
technology to industry and agriculture more collaboratively, and a lot more
cooperation on employment creation across sectors. That’s the best way to
sustain peace and eradicate conflicts in Africa.”
South African business tycoon, Sello Rasethaba, questioned how Russia was going
to establish a thriving trade relationship with Africa for the benefit all and
sundry. In reality and effective practical terms, how Russia wants to
reposition itself in relation with Africa. With business relationship, Russia
has to consider practical strategies in consultation with African countries.
The fact that the middle class is growing in leaps and bounds in Africa makes
this market even more attractive and opens more opportunities also for Russian
businesses.
“The current investment and business engagement by foreign players with
Africa is on the increase. There are so many unknowns up there in Russia, it’s
crucial that Russia has a clear vision of the relationship it wants with Africa.
Russia together with African countries must setup sovereign wealth funds using
the resources power of those countries,” he said.
There are similar views and sentiments. Rex Essenowo, Member of the Board of
Trustees of Nigerians in Diaspora Europe and Senior Executive of Asian Africa
Trade, a Moscow based business lobbying NGO, said it was unfortunate that some
people consistently undermine Africa’s strategic interest, that is
infrastructural development and lifting its vast population out of poverty in Africa.
Playing the conflict card is strategically destructive because the warring
parties want to present Africa as unsafe for investments.
“It is for African leaders to remain focused on the right direction,
resolute in conflict management and as well rolling out new implementable
policies oriented towards building infrastructure, modernizing agriculture,
investment in manufacturing and industry – these will offer employment for the
youth. Meanwhile, we are not even using one tenth of our capacities on investment
promotion at the international platforms,” he added.
Essenowo further argued that the future of Russia-Africa relations has to take
into cognizance the true meaning of building a platform for civil, media and
cultural as well as people-to-people interaction, helping to change the
attitudes and mentality, remove old stereotypes, – these are important steps
for improving business cooperation.
In addition, Russia could help to deepen understanding through regular dialogue
with the civil society and governments, as basis for economic growth,
development, as well as motivation for confidence among Russian investors in
the region.
Despite its global status, Russia lacks assertiveness towards practical
implementation of essential development projects in Africa. Zimbabwe’s
Ambassador to Russia, Major General (rtd) Nicholas Mike Sango, told me in an
interview discussions that, “For a long time, Russia’s foreign policy on
Africa has failed to pronounce itself in practical terms as evidenced by the
countable forays into Africa by Russian officials. The Russian Federation has
the capacity and ability to assist Africa overcome these challenges leveraging
on Africa’s vast resources.”
Mike Sango further expressed his views as follows: “Africa’s expectation is
that Russia, while largely in the extractive industry, will steadily transfer
technologies for local processing of raw materials as a catalyst for Africa’s
development.”
Many former Ambassadors, mostly from Southern African region, have also tasked
African leaders to prioritize concrete development projects and reminded them
that it was necessary to make rational choices, push for “African
solutions to African problems” within the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) when they finally gather at the forthcoming October summit in Sochi.
The summit sessions have to discuss thoroughly “the whole range of
development issues that will ultimately form the future African agenda”
and analyze them through the prism of rivalry and competition among foreign
players on the continent, according to a summarized separate media interviews
with the former African envoys who served in the Russian Federation.
In addition, they unreservedly underscored Russia’s commitment to strengthening
political contacts, but these have not reflected on the level of economic
engagement as compared to its globally praised status. Now, looking objectively
at the situation as it develops on the continent, Africa finds itself in an
excellent compelling position of having many suitors – each offering something
it needs for its development, they acknowledged.
The 15-member UN’s Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution welcoming
the AU’s initiative and pledging support for “African solutions to African
problems” to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Former Envoys observed in their interview discussions with me that many African
countries have failed to substantially reduce abject poverty, rising
unemployment, marginalization of social groups and widening inequality (the
primary root causes of conflicts) in many regions of Africa.
Admittedly and in their objective assessment, Africa’s economy has remained
largely based on subsistence agriculture with little development of the
industrial or services sectors. The huge infrastructure deficit could be
business for Russian investors. These development issues, among others, are
what Russia-Africa platform has to genuinely deal with African leaders in
Sochi.
Quite recently, Vyacheslav Volodin, the Chairman of the State Duma, told an
instant meeting held with the Ambassadors of African countries in the Russian
Federation, that Russia would take adequate steps to deliver on pledges and
promises with Africa countries. “We propose to move from intentions to
concrete steps,” Volodin reassured.
On the summit, Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov has explained earlier
that arranging an event on such a large-scale with the participation of over
fifty heads of state and government required most careful preparation,
including in terms of its substantive content and equally important was African
businesspeople who have been looking to work on the Russian market.
“The economic component of the summit has a special significance as it
would be of practical interest for all the parties. As such, specific Russian
participants in bilateral or multilateral cooperation should be identified,
which are not only committed to long-term cooperation but are also ready for
large-scale investments in the African markets with account of possible risks
and high competition,” Minister Lavrov noted in an interview posted to his
official website.
For decades, Russia has been looking for effective ways to promote multifaceted
ties and new strategies for cooperation in energy, oil and gas, trade and
industry, agriculture and other economic areas in Africa.
President Vladimir Putin noted at the VTB Capital’s Russia Calling Forum, that
many countries had been “stepping up their activities on the African
continent” but added that Russia could not cooperate with Africa “as
it was in the Soviet period, for political reasons.”
In his opinion, cooperation with African countries could be developed on a
bilateral basis as well as on a multilateral basis, through the framework of
BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
But so far, Russia has not pledged adequate funds toward implementing its
business projects and other policy objectives in Africa. Russia’s investment
efforts in the region have been limited thus far which some experts attributed
to lack of a system of financing policy projects. While Russia government is
very cautious about making financial commitments, Russia’s financial
institutions are not closely involved in foreign policy initiatives in Africa.
As publicly known in recent years, China has offered $60 billion, Japan $32 billion, and India $25 billion, while large cutting-edge investment funds have also come from the United States and European Union, all towards realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa.
