Russia-Africa Summit leads to agreements

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 25 Oct 2019 by Alex Teddy

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The inaugural Russia-African Summit ended on October 24. President Putin was elated that 52 African countries sent delegates - in many cases their presidents. In the Cold War the USSR stood against Western imperialism and apartheid. Russia is the primary successor state of the USSR and so Africa looks on Russia as more benign that Western countries look on Russia.Countless memoranda of understanding were signed between Russia and various African republics. Nigeria will purchase 12 Mi-35 Hind attack helicopters from Russia. Russia will sell over USD 4 billion worth of arms to various African countries in 2019. Some of these deals were agreed at the Sochi Summit.Military manufacturing is on the few areas where Russian industry is thriving. Russian military hardware is at the lower end of the price range and it is not always of the same generation as its Western equivalent. There are arms sales to the Central African Republic and Sudan. Energy agreements were signed with Morocco, South Sudan, Ethiopia, the Republic of Congo and Equatorial Guinea. Trade agreements have been signed with Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola and Ethiopia. Moscow has forgiven over USD 20 billion worth of debt. Much of this dated to the Soviet era. But was Russia ever going to get that money back anyway? In a sense Moscow was simply recognizing reality in saying the Africans did not have to pay. Western countries wrote off huge sums of African debt in 2000. The main beneficiary of this debt forgiveness by Russia is Ethiopia. Russia's nuclear energy company Rosatom is negotiating building a nuclear power station in Ethiopia. This has been one of the fastest growing economies in Africa but it has no oil ...