President Medvedev on a historic tour of African countries to boost Russia’s presence in the region
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has embarked on an almost week-long tour of Africa, with stops in Egypt, Nigeria, Namibia and Angola, as the Kremlin plans to boost its position on the Black Continent, where other global superpowers, namely, the United States, Great Britain, France, and most recently, China, a new comer in the region, have gained inroads into most of the former Soviet Union’s areas of influence.
An unmistakable sign that the Kremlin is really intent on boosting its traditional good ties with African countries is evident in the composition of the official delegation, which has included both top government and military personnel and also key representatives of the Russian business community drawn from all spheres of the economy. Whilst Russian leaders have been to Egypt and Angola, Medvedev will be the first Russian president to visit Namibia and Nigeria, the most populous country on the continent with lots of mineral and other natural resources that have attracted top several western companies and also Chinese investors to the area, as Russia loses its hold in the region.
Indeed, Russia’s imprint goes deeper in the African history, starting with its efforts at helping in decolonization of the continent in the 1960s to friendly bilateral ties established by the Soviet Union with left-leaning governments in Africa that opened ways for the provisions of free military aid, education and other necessities to countries in the region. For instance, Egypt President Hosni Mubarak is Soviet-educated. Talks in Cairo, the first stop on the presidential tour, focused on the traditional issues - military, tourism, with almost 1.8mln Russian visiting the northern African country annually, leaving behind between $4bln-$5bln, and the currently stalemated Israel-Palestine peace regulation, and the Kremlin’s ongoing efforts, including the upcoming Middle East conference that will be held in Moscow later this year, to kickstart the process.
In Nigeria, Namibia and Angola, the bilateral talks are to be focused on boosting ties in trade and other economic issues, especially in the precious metals, namely gold and diamond, nuclear energy and oil/gas sectors, where several energy companies, led by the industry leader, Gazprom, are planning serious joint projects with their counterparts on the continent. For instance, Gazprom is reportedly interested in building a joint LNG project in Nigeria that will require a $2.5bln investment outlay from its side. The fact that nuclear energy and precious metals are also on the agenda is evident in the presence of Rosatom CEO Sergei Kiriyenko and Alrosa CEO Sergei Vybornov in the presidential entourage. For instance, Alrosa, a major Russian precious metals corporation, is a prominent player in the Angolan precious metals industry.
In all, top Russian corporations have earmarked over $10bln for investments in the Black Continent, with over half of this sum already disbursed for the realization of specific projects in the region. Medvedev’s nearly a week-long presence on the continent with presidents, top politicians, religious leaders and business tycoons will surely boost Russia’s interests on the Black Continent.
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