With heightening geopolitical situation, a new wave is entirely blowing from Russia to Africa, fortifying the emerging multipolar world with emphasis on Africa and the Global South. Russia’s policy approach toward Africa is increasingly changing, incorporating most the areas and spheres as ready instruments for consolidating the scale of current bilateral relations. For the first time in the post-Soviet history, a press tour for journalists of African news agencies “TASS – Africa: the Path of Friendship” took place from November 16 to 24 in Moscow, Kazan and St. Petersburg.

The
TASS news agency intends to establish news bureaus in all African countries,
replicating its presence during the Soviet era, Director General Andrey
Kondrashov said. His statement was based on the fact that Africa is becoming
“one of the most important areas of focus.” The biggest apparent
challenge is how to create an extensive media outreach and maintain a
significant information footprint, a replica which was witnessed during Soviet
times.

Chairman
of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, meeting with African ambassadors,
indicated clearly that Russia is competing with foreign players in Africa. But,
as Russia continues invariably working on its long-term cooperation, it has
“to move away from intentions to concrete actions.” Russia has a
distinctive feature in comparison with other countries: it has always spread to
the people of the African continent good things, model-solutions for
development problems.

During
a meeting with African ambassadors in the State Duma, the issue of greater
representation of Russian media in Africa was raised, which ambassadors
responded with applause. “It is necessary to take certain steps together
for the Russian media to work on the African continent,” Volodin noted
before arguably comparing that “the Russian media provide broadcasting in
various languages, they work in many countries, although it is certainly
impossible to compare this presence with presence of the media of the United
States, United Kingdom and Germany.”

Notwithstanding
the geopolitical obstacles, Russia has sound instruments for media cooperation.
Yet, officials desperately complain over anti-Russian media campaign
perpetuated by the western media in Africa. The continent’s biggest challenge
among political elite and entrepreneurs is to access opportunities in the
Russian Federation for cooperation, yet these vital element has been missing.
There is dearth of adequate information on economic and tourism developments
between Russia and Africa.

For
creating a sustainable partnership—the first in Africa—would require sprawling
educational campuses, frequent exchange of specialists and students, promoting
visa-free tourism, as well as media practitioners’ engagement with ordinary
Russians, visiting interesting tourism spots across the Russian Federation.

And
while China, for instance, has granted 53 African nations duty-free access to
its market, Russia would simply not just as it does consider it necessary to
permit African reporters inside the country. Noticeably, Africans are showing
high interest in leveraging their relationships with Russia. On the other side,
Russian rules and regulations are restricting Africans, and as result, rather
continue balancing their strategic relationship—with varying degrees of success
with the United States and Europe.

Experts
have consistently argue that lack of two-way media representation exacerbates
misunderstanding between Russia and Africa. As a result, African leaders and
corporate business executives often rely on Western media for information about
Russia, leading to a one-sided view that often reflects Western biases. As Africa’s middle class estimated at 280
million (twice Russia’s population) continues to grow, representing a vibrant
information market, the need for a balanced and comprehensive media coverage
from both sides becomes increasingly crucial. The low representation does not
reflect the growing diplomatic and economic ties between Russia and Africa.
Analysis further shows both realism and symbolism, and Africa repetitive
attempts to turn symbolism into real substance at this stage of shifting
developments.

Artem
Kozhin, is now Russia’s ambassador to Seychelles. During the Russia-Africa
Summit, Artem Kozhin, who represented the Foreign Ministry’s Information and
Press Department, at the panel discussion on media, explained in an indepth
report that some 300 news bureaus from 60 countries were operating in Russia,
including 800 foreign correspondents and 400 technical personnel in the Russian
Federation. According to his interpretation, this extremely low representation
of African media hardly meets the level of current dynamically developing
relations between Russia and Africa. “We invite all interested parties to
open news bureaus and expand media cooperation with Russia,” Kozhin said
at the gathering, inviting Africa media to Moscow.

Professor
Alexey Vasiliev, the first Special Representative of Russian President for
Relations with Africa (2006-2011) and currently the Head of the Center for
African and Arab Studies at the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, told
the audience in Sochi: “Africa is largely unaware of Russia, since African
media mainly consumes information the Western media sources and then replicates
them. And all the fake news, the Rusophobia and anti-Russian propaganda, spread
by the western media, are repeated in the African media.”

“Measures
are needed to enable us to better understand each other,” suggested
Professor Vasiliev, who regularly advises the Presidential Administration, the
Government of the Russian Federation, both chambers of the Federal Assembly,
and the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Critiques
have since emerged regarding the level of discrimination in accrediting foreign
media. In a parallel plane, policy researchers say Africa’s media absence in
the Russian Federation is alarming. In short, Africa Studies Institute’s
Director, Professor Irina Abramova has reiterated, at several conferences
including at State Duma roundtable discussion, and now at TACC conference with
the media group from 10 Francophone African countries, the extremely low of
African media presence in the Russian Federation.

She
emphasized that Russia’s image is formed by African audiences, influenced by
the media, often diverges significantly from reality. The director noted that
receiving first-hand information is the foundation for mutual understanding and
cooperation. “Information, today, has become a powerful productive force,
capable of shaping objective reality. Under the current conditions, the role of
journalists is extremely important, because the nature of Russian-African
relations, largely depends on how given facts are presented,” Professor
Abramova stated, while urging African media practitioners to actively establish
their presence in the Russian Federation.

Professor
Abarmova regrettably underlined that not a single African news agency has
permanent accreditation in the country. The speakers discussed expanding
cooperation in the information sphere, pointed to the importance of expanding
Russian media offices on the African continent.

For
decades, cooperation with Africa has been in line with Moscow’s policy aimed at
strengthening media ties. And now, by inviting these African media
practitioners, more or less, marked one step toward teaming up, at starting
level, to fight anti-Russian propaganda, and the spread of fake information. In
addition, Professor Abramova underscored the critical fact that the Africa
Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has to work up to an appreciable
expectations, discard uncollaborative approach to issues relating to Africa.

For
Africa, officials of the Department for Partnership with Africa at the Russian
Foreign Ministry should rather show enthusiasm in facilitating the rules and
regulations, among others, in addressing promptly the necessary obstacles
hindering bilateral media cooperation. Professor Abramova unreservedly
suggested, for example, the significance of establishing Russia-Africa Press
Exchange Programme to encourage and promote exchanges and regular visits
between Russian and African media.

Tatyana
Dovgalenko, Director of the Department for Partnership with Africa at the
Russian Foreign Ministry, said that Moscow counts on the active participation
of its partners from Africa. In this context, she reiterated the Russia-Africa
summits held in October 2019 and July 2023, have described as a true
breakthrough by Russian President Vladimir Putin. “These events served as
a powerful starting-point for what is commonly referred to as the revival of
Russia-Africa relations. And today, Russian-African ties are steadily
growing,” Dovgalenko said at the conference dedicated to the launch of the
press tour. “It is important that our African friends view Russia as a
reliable friend and a partner, capable of acting to protect its own sovereignty
and supporting others to do the same.”

“These
events served as a powerful starting-point for what is commonly referred to as
the revival of Russia-Africa relations. And today, Russian-African ties are
steadily growing,” Dovgalenko said at the conference dedicated to the
launch of the press tour. “It is important that our African friends view
Russia as a reliable friend and a partner, capable of acting to protect its own
sovereignty and supporting others to do the same.”

The
media initiative was as a follow up to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s
discussions about rolling out a comprehensive roadmap for a more integrated
cooperation and to find ways of improving public diplomacy in Africa.

On
May 16, Sergey Lavrov chaired the Foreign Ministry Collegium meeting on the
theme titled “Concept of the Russian Federation on Cooperation with
African Media” which stresses the need to cooperate with African media as
Russia looks forward to strengthening relations and intends to share its
strategic interests with Africa. According to the MFA report: “the Russian
Federation is implementing programmes of cooperation with various African
countries which include the media, education, culture, art, and sport.”

In
order to overcome these longstanding challenges mentioned above in the article,
both Russia and Africa have to take concrete steps toward building a more
collaborative media landscape. This includes creating opportunities for African
journalists in Russia and increasing the presence of Russian media in Africa.
In mid-November 2025, media representatives invited from 10 Francophone African
countries, visited key landmarks, museums, and universities, and held meetings
with representatives of academic institutions and media.