Russia’s state defence export agency, Rosoboronexport, is pressing ahead with a sweeping expansion of military-technical cooperation across Africa, leveraging the momentum of the Russia–Africa Summit format and a dense network of bilateral agreements to cement Moscow’s position as a leading arms supplier to the continent. The figures being cited are striking: some 150 contract documents worth more than $20 billion signed with African nations since the 2023 St. Petersburg summit alone.
Speaking at a gala reception held for African diplomats accredited in Moscow, Alexander Mikheev, Director General of Rosoboronexport and Deputy Chairman of the Russian Union of Machine-Builders, framed the relationship in expansive historical terms — invoking decades of solidarity, anti-colonial struggle, and what he described as Russia’s long tradition of arming partners in pursuit of “independence, justice and freedom.”
“Today Rosoboronexport has forty-six African countries among its partners, with whom it has signed intergovernmental agreements on military-technical cooperation. The continent accounts for 30% of the company’s book of orders, with contracts for technological cooperation projects worth over $1.7 billion.”
— Alexander Mikheev, Director General, Rosoboronexport.
Beyond hardware: a full-spectrum offer
What distinguishes the current Russian approach is its breadth. Rosoboronexport is no longer pitching simply the sale of finished weapons systems. The agency is actively promoting a suite of industrial cooperation models — licensed production, joint manufacturing, modernisation programmes, and post-sale maintenance — that are designed to give African governments a stake in long-term defence partnerships rather than one-off procurement deals. Infrastructure project support is also on the table.
The agency markets its products as particularly well-suited to African operational environments and to the specific security challenges faced by the continent, including the protection of extensive coastlines and territorial waters — a pointed pitch at a time when maritime security concerns are rising across West, East, and Central Africa.
The summit cycle and what comes next
The Russia–Africa Summit has provided the institutional backbone for this expansion. The first two editions — Sochi in 2019 and St. Petersburg in 2023 — generated the political frameworks underpinning the current wave of contracts. A third summit is scheduled for the autumn of 2026, and African delegations are also expected to attend the inaugural International Security Forum in the Moscow Region, which opens on May 26.
Rosoboronexport operates through Rostec’s network of representative offices in key African countries, supplementing its presence at international arms fairs with direct bilateral engagement. The parent corporation, Rostec, reported consolidated revenue exceeding 4.5 trillion roubles in 2025, reflecting the broader scale of Russia’s defence-industrial complex operating at wartime tempo.
The push into Africa is unfolding amid intensifying geopolitical competition for influence on the continent, with Western governments, China, Turkey, and Gulf states all vying for defence partnerships. Russia’s narrative — rooted in historical anti-colonial credentials and an explicit rejection of political conditionality — continues to resonate with a number of African governments, even as Moscow remains deeply committed to its war in Ukraine. Whether the ambition translates fully into delivered systems, fulfilled offset commitments, and sustained industrial partnerships remains the critical question for analysts watching this space.