Putin tells Africa summit West still exploits continent

Russian President Vladimir Putin used the third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on Wednesday to position his country as Africa’s most reliable partner, telling assembled leaders that Western powers, still shaped by what he described as a colonial mindset, continue to seek to exploit the continent’s resources and to use debt as a tool of restraint.

The two-day summit, first held in 2019, drew government delegations from 48 countries, including 22 African leaders scheduled for one-on-one talks with Putin on trade, security, arms and grain. The gathering forms part of a coordinated effort by Moscow to deepen its political, economic and military presence across the continent, where fighters from Russia’s Africa Corps remain active.

Putin’s remarks carried a clear institutional message. He told the summit that Russia supported greater African influence within the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, offered to pursue joint transport and agricultural infrastructure projects, and said Moscow stood ready to supply grain and fertiliser to more African countries. He also contrasted Russia’s approach with that of Western states, saying Russia was prepared to share its know-how, including digital expertise, and to localise production rather than simply purchase raw materials, which he said would create jobs and generate tax revenue.

“Africa is increasingly asserting itself as one of the key players in the global economy and politics,” Putin said. “However, the emergence of a multipolar world is, of course, no easy task; it faces resistance from countries that are not prepared to accept this reality: those who are accustomed to thinking in terms of their colonial past and to enriching themselves fabulously.”

He did not name the countries he had in mind, though he referred to what he called “active attempts by Western countries” to drive Africans back into debt bondage and to impose predatory terms on financial resources the continent badly needs, terms he said slowed long-term development. Western critics have accused Putin of trying to leverage Africa’s colonial past to Moscow’s own advantage.

Meanwhile, the summit serves a wider strategic purpose. Courting African leaders and other partners from the Global South has become part of Moscow’s strategy to counterbalance Western pressure on the world stage over Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russian state media and cultural institutions are working to expand their footprint in Africa, while Russian state companies seek to grow their interests in sectors ranging from mining to power generation.

Western governments have accused Russian paramilitary forces of propping up military juntas, including the one governing Mali, in an effort to strengthen Moscow’s geopolitical influence and displace former colonial powers such as France. Moscow rejects those assertions.

African leaders present at the summit echoed Moscow’s framing. Burkina Faso’s Prime Minister, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo, said cooperation with Russia was transparent and served both parties’ interests, adding that Moscow was not seeking to erase African languages and cultures. “This is completely different from what we had with imperialist France,” he told Russia’s state RT television channel.

The summit’s outcomes, from promised grain and fertiliser supplies to proposed infrastructure partnerships and calls for reform of global financial institutions, will now be tested against the realities of delivery, with the commitments made in Moscow subject to the scrutiny of the governments and institutions on both sides that must carry them out.