Africa needs to forge a unified approach to Russia before 2023 Russia-Africa Summit

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs argues that African nations must develop a unified strategy and structured communication channels through the African Union (AU) to engage with Russia. It highlights Russia's increasing military and political push into Africa, the continent's economic vulnerability to grain and oil price shocks, and the need for collective agency to avoid becoming pawns in global geopolitical disputes ahead of the 2023 Russia-Africa Summit.

• Russia is actively seeking to increase its international support and influence in Africa, evidenced by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's July 2022 visits to Egypt, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Ethiopia, and the planning of a second Russia-Africa Summit for mid-2023.
• Russia maintains a significant military presence in Africa, serving as the largest arms supplier to the continent in 2021, providing 44% of major arms imports and signing military agreements with over 20 African countries, often involving the Wagner Group.
• African nations are economically vulnerable to Russian and Ukrainian disruptions, particularly regarding wheat imports; between 2018 and 2020, Russia provided 32% and Ukraine provided 12% of Africa's wheat imports.
• The author proposes that the African Union (AU) should lead the creation of a formal Russia strategy and strengthen its Partnership Management and Coordination Division to help member states establish joint positions and advocate for the continent's needs.
• While individual African states may be smaller than Russia, the continent possesses greater collective economic power, with a collective GDP of approximately $2.7-trillion in 2021 compared to Russia's $1.7-trillion.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2022). Africa needs to forge a unified approach to Russia before 2023 Russia-Africa Summit. https://saiia.org.za/research/africa-needs-to-forge-a-unified-approach-to-russia-before-2023-russia-africa-summit/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Africa needs to forge a unified approach to Russia before 2023 Russia-Africa Summit. 2022. https://saiia.org.za/research/africa-needs-to-forge-a-unified-approach-to-russia-before-2023-russia-africa-summit/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Africa needs to forge a unified approach to Russia before 2023 Russia-Africa Summit |date=3 August 2022 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/africa-needs-to-forge-a-unified-approach-to-russia-before-2023-russia-africa-summit/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2022africa, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Africa needs to forge a unified approach to Russia before 2023 Russia-Africa Summit}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2022}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/africa-needs-to-forge-a-unified-approach-to-russia-before-2023-russia-africa-summit/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }