Not Scramble, But Partnership: Russia Exchanging Expertise for African Solutions

The relationship between Russia and Africa, particularly in agriculture, is frequently framed through the lens of grain and fertilizer exports. However, as Pavel Shibilov, head of the Project for International Development at the Russian Export Center, articulates during a fascinating interview with Pan-African Frequency, the envisioned partnership between Russia and Africa aims deeper. It is presented not as a donor-recipient dynamic but as a horizontal partnership built on knowledge transfer, joint ventures, and technology sharing. According to him, the goal is not to create dependency but to enhance Africa’s own productive capacity, contrasting with traditional Western aid frameworks.

“This partnership provides foundations I would divide for two main points: the first is predictability, and the second one is leverage. Predictability allows the African government to always rely on Russia as a stable partner and leverage; it gives you the opportunity to have a better negotiating position with other countries when you know that you always have Russia as a friend [...] Powerful Africa, powerful Russia, African solutions for African problems. And we are really interested in having Africa as an equal partner [...] We stand on the principle of shared experience and joint discussion. Unlike your former colonial powers and other countries, they are trying to force Africa into a certain condition. And we have expertise; we're ready to give this expertise. We support your sovereignty [...] We support African agency, and this is part of our strategy. So it's not something you know; people say this scramble for Africa. This is the worst word. Russia is not scrambling; it's not fighting for Africa. We can fight for the hearts of Africans. And we are ready to help African brothers and sisters there to fulfill their needs,” Shibilov highlighted.

Furthermore, the episode features the insights of Dr. Getachew Assefa, Associate Professor of Law at Addis Ababa University, as he discussed with Sputnik Africa during the Conference on Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa that the struggle for constitutionalism in Africa is a legacy of a colonial governance model that was inherited, not dismantled. Discussing the International Criminal Court (ICC), he argues the tension between internal practice and external expectation echoes in the arena of international justice.

“We have to understand that power cannot be exercised arbitrarily, that constitutions are there to limit government power, and that those limitations that are in the constitution must be respected by the political power leaders [...] the argument that the ICC targets African leaders and African countries has some foundation, because it is overwhelmingly African leaders or some entities in Africa that are being prosecuted,” the professor noted.

Africa’s ability to negotiate mutually beneficial partnerships and its quest for a just, rules-based international order are two sides of the same coin. Both require a rejection of imposed, conditional frameworks in favor of respect, reciprocity, and institutional strength.

Tune in to listen to the full conversation with our guests on the Pan African Frequency podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.

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