[Del direttore di Africa e Affari, Massimo Zaurrini] The second Russia-Africa summit, which will close today in St. Petersburg, is seen by Moscow as the pre-eminent platform for renewing relations with Africa. This meeting comes at a particularly charged geopolitical moment and has attracted much more attention than the first Russia-Africa summit in 2019.
In a lengthy and interesting analysis published by the Institute for African Security Studies (ISS) in Pretoria (South Africa), it is highlighted that by bringing together at least 40 African heads of state and senior leaders, the Summit has the declared objective of deepening cooperation between Moscow and African capitals in five broad areas: politics, security, economic relations, science and technology, and cultural and humanitarian engagement. This agenda, described as “ambitious”, includes a parallel Economic and Humanitarian Forum intended to “diversify the scope and nature of Russian-African cooperation, thus setting the course for its long-term development”.
According to the ISS, the importance of this summit for Russia is clear: since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has turned decisively towards Africa to evade Western isolation. The St. Petersburg meeting is an opportunity to show that Moscow has not been isolated and has alternative partners willing to step up their cooperation with the Kremlin.
The question of what African states want from the summit is more complex, underlines the African study centre. “Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, global fault lines have deepened, with Africa at the center of a charm offensive by international powers seeking support for their approach to the international order. The continent’s development agenda would normally be prioritized in its engagements with external partners. But that’s not as simple or prominent as it once was.”
According to the ISS, to refocus Africa’s development needs, the countries of the continent must proactively set the agenda and map responsibilities in the Africa+1 meetings, i.e. all those meetings in which the continent confronts individual countries (Russia, Japan, India, USA, Italy, etc..).” African governments still play a largely secondary role in initiating these engagements, setting the agenda and contributing to outcomes,” the researchers write.
One positive aspect is the commitment of African leaders to continue the discussion on the resolution of the war in Ukraine. The summit comes nearly a month after the first African peace mission, which saw leaders of seven countries engage with Ukraine and Russia in a bid to reach an agreement.
As geopolitical divides worsen for the foreseeable future, African states should take a more assertive approach to Africa+1 commitments. This will move the continent beyond top-level diplomacy and plus-one interests – and into a more robust position to negotiate collective African interests on the world stage.