Beyond limited trade, what does Putin hope Russia can achieve in Africa?

Moscow renews its African outreach

After the invasion of Ukraine deepened Russia’s rift with the West, President Vladimir Putin sought support beyond Western countries. Africa became a focus, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov making increasingly frequent visits. Foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called the effort a “historic return.” Russia has held an Africa summit roughly every three years since 2019; the third is scheduled in Moscow for October 28 and 29, with economic cooperation alongside political, security, scientific and cultural topics.

Egypt leads economic ties

Russia’s engagement is concentrated in a small number of African countries, particularly in the north. Egypt and Algeria are key partners, while efforts to deepen ties with Tanzania and Ethiopia have so far had little success, says Ivan Klyszcz of the International Centre for Defence and Security in Tallinn.

Trade between Egypt and Russia more than doubled from 2021, reaching $10.5 billion in 2025, according to Russia’s Federal Customs Service. Russian grain is the leading export, followed by metal-industry products; Egypt mainly sends fruit and vegetables to Russia.

Trade remains modest overall

Russia is building a nuclear power plant in Egypt’s El-Dabaa region, with a $25 billion Russian loan covering about 85% of construction costs. Expert Nikita Smagin says Egypt could eventually serve as a Russian gateway to Africa and other markets, but cautions that Cairo follows its own interests.

About 39% of Russian-African trade in 2025 involved Egypt, while trade with all 54 African countries totaled around $27 billion. Africa made up 3.9% of Russia’s foreign trade. The EU’s trade with Africa was about $385 billion; China’s exceeded $348 billion, while US trade was nearly $105 billion and India’s was $103 billion.

Competition extends to resources

Russia’s economic presence remains smaller than that of China, the United States, India, France and Britain, says Ghanaian analyst Fidel Owusu. He adds that Turkey and the UAE have recently outperformed Russia in trade and investment.

Western countries still lead in areas including finance, energy and raw-material extraction, says Beverly Ochieng, a Control Risks analyst in Senegal. She expects Russia to compete more intensely for minerals and energy projects, citing lithium projects in Malawi and uranium in Niger.