- Sputnik Africa, 1920
Global South Pole
Global South Pole is more than just a podcast. It’s a platform dedicated to challenging the mainstream narratives and amplifying the voices of the overlooked communities. It’s time to rewrite the maps to plant the Global South at the center.

No Strings Attached: New Era of Russia-Africa Relations

No Strings Attached: New Era of Russia-Africa Relations
Subscribe
Russia has firmly positioned itself as a key player in Africa, forging stronger ties through strategic alliances, economic cooperation, and humanitarian and cultural exchange initiatives. This growing partnership signals a shift in the global landscape and facilitates mutual growth and collaboration.
The growing interest of African countries in forging closer ties with Russia can be attributed to their appreciation of Moscow’s approach to mutually beneficial economic partnerships and non-interference in their internal affairs, according to Mary Avdalyan, a senior lecturer at Lomonosov Moscow State University.

“Unlike the Western countries, which politics is usually prescriptive. And that is why Russia's economic engagement in Africa tends to be less prescriptive. And while for example, Russia's involvement is often viewed positively by African governments seeking to diversify, first of all, their economic ties and reduce dependence on Western donors,” she says.

Commenting on Russian investments in Africa, Avdalyan explains that such investments are aimed at creating jobs and contributing to the economic growth of these countries.

“Here we can see that Russian projects don't exploit something just to get the resources. They try to train staff in order for African countries to be independent afterward,” she points out.

The expert highlights that the perception of Western aid in Africa has changed over time as its motives became apparent, particularly during the era of colonialism and neocolonialism, and many African nations began to view it with suspicion.
She further said that Western aid in Africa comes with “strings attached and policy conditions.”

“Western countries may provide aid to African countries in the form of loans or grants, only to later ask for repayment with high interest rates or trade concessions that benefit Western corporations. First of all and this dynamic reinforces perceptions of Western aid as a means of economic dependence and inequality,” the lecturer stresses.

To find out what else our guest had to say, tune in to the Global South Pole podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on Telegram.
You can also listen to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Castbox, Pocket Casts, Afripods, Podcast Addict, Overcast, Google Podcasts.
Check out all the episodes of Global South Pole.
Newsfeed
0