Russian President Medvedev's visit to Africa June 2009

President Dmitry Medvedev's June 2009 visit to Egypt, Nigeria, Namibia, and Angola focused on the exploitation of energy and minerals and the sale of Russian technology. This effort, alongside summits with BRIC and SCO nations, reflects a Russian foreign policy goal to challenge US hegemony and establish a multipolar world. Key outcomes included agreements on gas field development and pipelines in Nigeria, nuclear power projects in Egypt and Namibia, and loans for Angola's satellite programme. The document notes South Africa's absence from the Russian president's itinerary and the BRIC summit in Yekaterinburg.

• President Medvedev's visit to Africa from 22-26 June 2009 was driven by a geopolitical objective to reassert Russian influence and promote a multipolar world, challenging the dominance of a single hyper-power, the United States.
• The primary economic goals of the African visit were the sale of Russian technology and the exploitation of minerals and energy, specifically to balance the control of oil and gas currently held by Western, Chinese, and Indian companies.
• In Nigeria, Gazprom and the Nigerian National Petroleum signed an agreement to develop two gas fields and investigate the feasibility of a trans-Sahara pipeline to Algeria, which would provide Russia with more control over gas supplies to central and western Europe.
• Russia pursued nuclear energy exports and uranium access in Egypt and Namibia, with state-controlled Russian banks providing loans for these projects while Western lenders remained hesitant.
• South Africa was notably excluded from the Russian president's African itinerary and the first BRIC summit in Yekaterinburg, raising questions about Russia's geostrategic valuation of the country.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2009). Russian President Medvedev's visit to Africa June 2009. https://saiia.org.za/research/russian-president-medvedevs-visit-to-africa-june-2009/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Russian President Medvedev's visit to Africa June 2009. 2009. https://saiia.org.za/research/russian-president-medvedevs-visit-to-africa-june-2009/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Russian President Medvedev's visit to Africa June 2009 |date=8 July 2009 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/russian-president-medvedevs-visit-to-africa-june-2009/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2009russian, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Russian President Medvedev's visit to Africa June 2009}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2009}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/russian-president-medvedevs-visit-to-africa-june-2009/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }