Russian President Vladimir Putin promised “full support” from Moscow to African countries on Sunday during a Russia-Africa ministerial conference in Sochi (southwest). “Our country will continue to provide its full support to our African friends in different areas,” Putin said in an address, read by his head of diplomacy Sergei Lavrov to the conference participants. This could be “sustainable development, the fight against terrorism and extremism, epidemic diseases, the resolution of food problems or the consequences of natural disasters”, according to the same source.
This conference, organized with senior officials from African countries on Saturday and Sunday on the shores of the Black Sea, follows two Russia-Africa summits, which took place in 2019 (Sochi) and 2023 (Saint Petersburg). According to Sergei Lavrov, thanks to the “pace that was set” by these two summits, Russian-African relations are strengthening “more and more”. “We see progress in all areas” of cooperation, he said.
With this conference in Sochi, the Kremlin intends to provide a new illustration of the “multipolar world” that it wants to promote in its face-to-face with Westerners. It comes after the Brics summit in October in Kazan (Russia), where Vladimir Putin wanted to demonstrate the failure of the policy of isolation and sanctions initiated against his country by Western countries after the Russian assault in Ukraine in February 2022.
For several years, Russia, which was a key player in Africa during the Soviet era, has been pushing its pawns into African countries where Russian rhetoric against “neocolonialism” and for “a fairer world order” finds resonance. among a large number of African leaders.
Trump and African countries
During his first term in the White House, Donald Trump sparked indignation in Africa by speaking of “shithole countries”. This week, African countries quickly congratulated him on his second election, calling for cooperation with mutual respect. But questions remain about the impact of Donald Trump’s isolationist agenda on Africa, particularly if his Republican Party controls the US House of Representatives and Senate.
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade agreement is a centerpiece of the U.S.-Africa trade relationship. This preferential trade treatment launched in 2000 allows African countries to export many products to the United States without customs duties, if they respect a series of conditions (political pluralism, respect for human rights, fight against corruption, etc.). .).
AGOA covers a wide range of products from clothing to yams to cars. South Africa is AGOA’s largest non-oil exporter to the United States. Trump has already promised to impose significant tariffs on foreign imports, but his position on the future of AGOA, which is up for renewal next year, is unclear.
