ISRAEL’S TIES WITH AFRICA: A FOCUS ON ETHIOPIA, KENYA, NIGERIA AND SOUTH AFRICA

Since 2016, Israel has pursued a vigorous African engagement strategy to secure diplomatic support in international forums and expand markets for its technology and security expertise. While relations are deepening with East African nations like Ethiopia and Kenya due to shared security concerns and commercial opportunities, ties with regional powerhouses Nigeria and South Africa remain complex and often strained by solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Despite high-level diplomatic efforts, including Prime Minister Netanyahu's visits and the proposed Africa-Israel Summit, the document finds that trade between Israel and Africa remains minimal and that winning consistent loyalty in the UN General Assembly remains elusive.

• Despite diplomatic efforts, African support for Israel in the UN remains low, as evidenced by the December 2017 vote where only Togo opposed the resolution against the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
• Bilateral relations with Ethiopia and Kenya are deepening, driven by strategic maritime interests in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, as well as shared counter-terrorism goals against groups like al-Shabaab.
• Israel's relationship with South Africa is severely strained by the ANC's ideological alignment with the Palestinian cause and comparisons between Israeli policies and apartheid.
• Ties with Nigeria are characterized by a mix of strong historical trade and current security cooperation against Boko Haram, yet are hindered by internal religious divisions and Nigeria's support for Palestine.
• Economic ties between Israel and the African continent remain marginal, with Africa ranking fifth among continental groupings for both Israeli imports and exports.
• The African Union (AU) maintains a staunch institutional support for Palestine, which has complicated Israel's efforts to obtain observer status within the organization.
• Israel leverages its technical expertise in agriculture, water management, and security to attract African partners, including participation in the US-led Power Africa programme.

APA

GRUZD, S., RAWHANI, C., & BENJAMIN, L. (2018). ISRAEL’S TIES WITH AFRICA: A FOCUS ON ETHIOPIA, KENYA, NIGERIA AND SOUTH AFRICA. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Occasional-Paper-284.pdf

Chicago

GRUZD, STEVEN, CARMEL RAWHANI, and LARRY BENJAMIN. ISRAEL’S TIES WITH AFRICA: A FOCUS ON ETHIOPIA, KENYA, NIGERIA AND SOUTH AFRICA. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2018. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Occasional-Paper-284.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=GRUZD |first1=STEVEN |last2=RAWHANI |first2=CARMEL |last3=BENJAMIN |first3=LARRY |title=ISRAEL’S TIES WITH AFRICA: A FOCUS ON ETHIOPIA, KENYA, NIGERIA AND SOUTH AFRICA |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=July 2018 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Occasional-Paper-284.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gruzd2018israels, author = {GRUZD, STEVEN and RAWHANI, CARMEL and BENJAMIN, LARRY}, title = {{ISRAEL’S TIES WITH AFRICA: A FOCUS ON ETHIOPIA, KENYA, NIGERIA AND SOUTH AFRICA}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2018}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Occasional-Paper-284.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }