The Second Russia-Africa Summit already takes place on 27-28 August,2023, in Saint Petersburg and is the most large-scale event in Russian-African relations aimed at the enhancement of partnership.
Russia and African countries have a long history of relations and, after their rise in the second half of the 20th century and decline in the 1990s, are being on the rise again. As in the Soviet period, military and technical cooperation is the basis of cooperation, with Rosoboronexport incorporated in Rostec and other defence companies as part of the State Corporation playing the key role. However, strong efforts are also made in the civil sector – Rostec delivers air ambulance helicopters, medical equipment and other products to Africa.
Friendship with the continent in the 21th century
Although the first official contacts between Russia and African countries took place as early as in the 18th century, the period from the mid 1950s to the mid 1970s of the past century may be called the golden era of cooperation. Anticolonial movements were spreading in Africa at that time, many countries gained independence from mother countries and some of them opted for socialist development.
Egypt was the first country which received diplomatic and material support from the USSR during the conflict between Israel and Egypt in the 1950s. Further on, the Soviet Union took part in building national armies in at least 25 African countries. They were not only provided with weapons and advice services, but also were able to have their military students taught in the USSR. Defence and engineering infrastructure facilities were established in Egypt, Algeria, Angola and other countries. In the 1960s-1970s, Soviet weapons accounted for about 40% of the total volume of supply to Africa.
Having consolidated the success in military and technical cooperation, the USSR joined the economic and technical programs in Africa and implemented more than 300 major infrastructure and industrial projects. Many of them are still the basis of stability on the continent: Hydraulic power facilities, steelworks and mining projects, oil refineries and agricultural facilities. Tens of thousands of professionals in Africa were educated in the USSR. Loans provided by our country on preferential terms were also a useful aid.
The First Russia-Africa Summit held in Sochi in 2019 may be called a new round of the Rusian-African friendship. It was attended by delegations from all 54 African countries with the vast majority of them represented by their leaders.
Cooperation for the sake of health
Healthcare is one of the key areas of civil cooperation between Russia and Africa, because affordable and high quality medicine is of urgent concern on the continent. Popular medical devices exported by Rostec are Shvabe’s neonatal systems for maternity hospitals – mechanical ventilators for newborns, incubators, etc. They are delivered to African countries both on commercial and charity basis.
Rostec not only offers medical equipment to African countries, but also solves more complicated problems. For example, a batch of 18 Ansat civil helicopters manufactured by Kazan Aircraft Factory as part of Russian Helicopters holding was delivered to the Republic of Zimbabwe in May this year. They will form a basis of Africa’s first air ambulance service. In addition to the supply of helicopters, Rostec shares the successful Russian experience – a National Air Ambulance Service has been successfully operated by the State Corporation in our country for several years.
Ensuring security and sovereignty
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia is currently the major supplier of weapons to Africa. Rosoboronexport is a single military products export agent in Russia. The company maintains military and technical cooperation with 43 of 54 independent African countries and the geographic reach is continuously expanded. The share of African countries in Rosoboronexport’s weapons order portfolio is now approaching 20%.
According to Aleksander Mikheev, General Director of Rosoboronexport, Russian helicopters, rocket and artillery ordnance, armoured platforms, small arms and close combat weapons, automotive vehicles, including armoured vehicles, manufactured by Rostec and other military-industrial complex companies have been the most highly demanded products on the African market for many years. This list is added with submarines, tanks, air defence systems and aircraft. There is a considerable amount of interest in solutions designed for fighting against terrorism, organized crime and for peacekeeping missions. Promising areas include equipment maintenance and modernization, and establishment of licensed production.
Mr. Mikheev pointed out that Rosoboronexport‘s presence has been extended to the next five African countries during the time elapsed after the First Russia-Africa Summit, Rosoboronexport has signed more than 150 contract documents with the African partners and added the orders for more than 10 billion USD to its portfolio. Therefore high hopes are laid on this year’s summit. And Rostec’s companies have something to offer the guests from Africa.
