Russia’s defense giant reveals $20 billion spent across Africa in 150 military deals

The sole state intermediary agency for Russia's trade of defense-related products, Rosoboronexport, recently revealed that it has spent approximately $20 billion in the African continent.

• Rosoboronexport, Russia's state defense export agency, has spent around $20 billion on 150 contracts across Africa.
• The agency's current military-technical cooperation agreements involve 46 African countries.
• Rosoboronexport provides African nations with tailored defense solutions, equipment, infrastructure support, and opportunities for local production and R&D.
• The company showcased major Russian military hardware at Africa's largest defense exhibition, AAD 2024.

Rosoboronexport disclosed that this amount was cut across 150 contracts with different countries across Africa.

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The CEO of the organization, Aleksandr Mikheev, via a congratulatory Africa Day message, noted that Rosoboronexport established agreements from the Russia-Africa Summit.

The defense company is expanding military-technical cooperation with its African counterparts through the provision of specialized defense systems for maritime patrol, coastal protection, and regional security.

As seen on Sputnik, Rosoboronexport presently has agreements for military-technical cooperation with 46 African countries.

Through these partnerships, the Russian defense exporter claims to provide African nations with tailored defense solutions to strengthen security and coastal protection, as well as direct military equipment supplies.

Other areas include infrastructure support, opportunities for licensed and joint production, collaboration in research and development (R&D), and modernization, servicing, and maintenance of existing defense systems.

In November last year, the CEO of Rosoboronexport explained that Russia had strengthened its defense cooperation with Africa by entering into $4 billion in military-industrial contracts with 46 African nations.

"We work with Rwanda, Uganda, Congo, the DRC, Nigeria, and Angola, which ensures us a significant geographical presence," he said at the time.

“The African market is very promising,” he added.

Rosoboronexport at the last iteration of Africa’s largest defense and aviation exhibition

In 2024, the company took center stage at Africa’s largest defense and aviation exhibition, known as Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD).

The company pledged to display Russian-made land forces hardware such as the T-90S main battle tank, TOS-1A heavy flamethrower system, and Smerch multiple rocket launcher system.

Other weapon systems include the Msta-S self-propelled howitzer with a standard NATO 155 mm gun, BTR-80A and BTR-82A armoured personnel carriers, various versions of the Tigr and Typhoon wheeled armoured vehicles, and the Kornet-EM anti-tank guided missile system.

This was hardly Rosoboronexport's first foray into the African market; as in 2022, the corporation expressed a strong desire to grow its presence in Africa via the same platform.

Rosoboronexport is Russia's primary intermediary for exporting and importing defense equipment, technologies, and services.

The establishment has long been a key player in the global arms trade, and it has pushed to strengthen ties with various African countries, many of which want to modernize their military capabilities.

The contracts cover the procurement of military equipment, maintenance services, and technological transfers aimed at improving African countries' defense capacities.