The US approval rating in Africa fell to 56%, with China leading the United States by 2%, while 8% more Africans approved of Russian leadership than a year earlier, according to a survey done by Gallup.
"While easily topping other countries in 2022, the US lost its edge in Africa in 2023. China’s median approval in the region increased from 52% in 2022 to 58% in 2023 [...]. Russia’s median approval rating increased eight points in 2023 to 42% — matching its rating in 2021," the paper read.
The survey was conducted in 36 African countries (that is, about 66% of the continent's countries were covered). The respondents were asked one question: "Do you approve or disapprove of the job performance of the leadership of [name of the country]?"
The approval rating of the United States had a significant decline in three nations: Uganda, Gambia, and Kenya (a drop of 29, 21 and 14 percentage points, respectively). The ratings in Libya and Somalia were the lowest, with 23% and 25%, respectively. It is worth noting that Somalia was questioned for the first time since 2016.
At the same time, the approval ratings of the United States saw substantial increases in seven African nations, namely Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal, and Tunisia, with all of them showing an increase in double digits.
Among other survey findings, it is interesting to note that approval of US leadership in Ukraine fell from 66% in 2022 to 53% last year — the highest drop (13 percentage points) after Finland (14).
The reason behind Russia's growing approval in Africa may be that Moscow can meet the continent's pressing security needs through arms sales that are beyond Washington's capabilities, as the US media recently reported, citing an unnamed US official. In addition, Russia helps Africa train in military skills. For example, Russian military instructors have recently arrived in Niger to train the country's forces in counter-terrorism.
Furthermore, although Niger residents were not polled by Gallup, the decline in US influence in this African country can be seen. Last month, Niger terminated a military pact with the United States, resulting in the closure of a US drone base in the northern region of the African country. Niger's authorities explained their decision by stating that the agreement had been enforced on the nation and was not beneficial to its citizens.
Moreover, the population supported this decision and now calls for the complete withdrawal of American troops from the country. Last Sunday, several hundred people reportedly gathered in the Nigerien city of Agadez, near the site of a US military base, to protest against US military presence in the country and demand that US forces leave since it "constitutes a form of neocolonialism," as one of the protesters said.
On Monday, both countries started negotiations on the withdrawal of American troops from the West African nation.