Russia’s Resurgent Interest in Africa: The Cases of Zambia and Tanzania

Russia is attempting to leverage historical Soviet-era ties and new institutional frameworks, such as the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum, to increase its presence in Zambia and Tanzania. While there is significant high-level political engagement and cooperation in nuclear energy and military sales, the report finds that Russia's economic footprint remains limited compared to China and other global powers. Key efforts include the promotion of nuclear research centers in Zambia and the use of 'debt-for-development' schemes, though the latter have seen little success in these two countries. The report also notes the use of the COVID-19 pandemic for geopolitical gain through vaccine diplomacy and targeted tourism to Zanzibar.

• Russia's strategy to increase its African presence, heralded by the 2019 Russia–Africa Summit, aims to "at least double the trade between the Russia and Africa" by offering political support, military cooperation, and technology for natural resource development.
• Nuclear cooperation is a primary pillar of Russia's strategy; Rosatom is working with Zambia to build a 10MW multipurpose nuclear research water-cooled reactor at the Centre for Nuclear Science and Technology (CNST), with a long-term goal of constructing a nuclear power plant by 2040.
• In Tanzania, Russia's nuclear ambitions include the Mkuju River Project, a uranium mine acquired by ARMZ (a Rosatom subsidiary) for just under $1 billion in 2010, though the project remained in the exploration stage as of 2021 due to low uranium prices.
• Russia has struggled to convert Soviet-era debts into economic gains in Zambia and Tanzania. Despite 'debt-for-development' programs, the report states that "Russia has had little success in this" and negotiations for resource access in exchange for debt relief remain unresolved.
• Military cooperation is a significant tool for influence, with Russia accounting for 49% of Africa's total arms imports. In Zambia, this includes the 2014 sale of two Mil Mi-17 helicopters and the supply of 35 Tigr armoured personnel carriers.
• Russia used the COVID-19 pandemic for geopolitical leverage, promoting the Sputnik V vaccine and opening tourism to Zanzibar in August 2020, which led to Russian tourists making up 41.3% of the Zanzibar market by early 2021 before flights were abruptly cancelled in April 2021.
• New coordinating institutions have been established to support Russian business, including the Russian Export Center (REC), which acts as a 'one-stop shop' for exporters, and the Association of Economic Cooperation with African States (AECAS), a non-profit that coordinates political support for sanctioned state enterprises like Gazprombank and Rosatom.
• Despite political declarations, Russia's economic presence in the natural resource sectors of its partners is minimal, with the report noting that Russia has "little presence in the Tanzanian gas and the Zambian copper industries".

APA

KACHUR, D. (2021). Russia’s Resurgent Interest in Africa: The Cases of Zambia and Tanzania. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Special-Report-kachur.pdf

Chicago

KACHUR, DZVINKA. Russia’s Resurgent Interest in Africa: The Cases of Zambia and Tanzania. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2021. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Special-Report-kachur.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=KACHUR |first1=DZVINKA |title=Russia’s Resurgent Interest in Africa: The Cases of Zambia and Tanzania |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=December 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Special-Report-kachur.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kachur2021russias, author = {KACHUR, DZVINKA}, title = {{Russia’s Resurgent Interest in Africa: The Cases of Zambia and Tanzania}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Special-Report-kachur.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }