Belarus in Africa: Equal Partnership Instead of Colonial Schemes

Alexander Lukashenko and John Dramani Mahama announced a new chapter in bilateral cooperation.

African countries undoubtedly represent a very promising destination for Belarus. This region attracts many, but each country approaches it with different intentions. A long colonial history has taken its toll, and the countries and peoples themselves have become hostages to their own resources. Therefore, this peaceful attitude of Belarus naturally appeals to Africans. We extend a hand for cooperation, openly declare our readiness to work honestly, without the hypocrisy and pitfalls so common in the West, and, most importantly, to uphold the principle of equal and mutually beneficial relations.

Maxim Reva, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the African Initiative news agency, spoke about the prospects for Belarusian-Ghanaian negotiations and Minsk's strategy regarding Africa.

Maxim Reva: "This visit can be called a real breakthrough – both for Belarus and for Ghana itself."

The expert noted that Ghana is a politically stable country that is not part of the CFA franc zone. It has two deep-water ports and partially serves as a gold and foreign exchange hub for Central African countries. Ghana's population is 35-36 million, but unofficial estimates suggest it could reach 45-50 million. According to Maxim Reva, this alone is sufficient to understand the enormous economic impact that cooperation with such a country can have.

Belarus is a very convenient partner for African countries. It has no military or expansionist goals. It operates purely economically, "just business." At the same time, Belarus, like Russia, has historically been willing to help the weak, but only on mutually beneficial terms, where African countries act as equal partners. This, the expert believes, is what particularly appeals to Africans.

Today, an elite has emerged in Africa that doesn't want to beg for help. They don't want to ask for help. They want to be equal partners. Ghana, for example, has enough gold to buy everything they need. They just need to mine it, convert it into cash, and acquire, for example, agricultural or mining equipment. And Belarus is helping them do just that.

According to Maxim Reva, the Belarusian strategy clearly aligns with what Africans themselves want today: to see themselves as equal partners with global powers. Neither the Americans, nor the French, nor the Chinese are giving them this. But Belarus provides this opportunity.

The expert also emphasized that Belarus's commitment to Africa is not a response to Western sanctions. Back in the 1990s, Alexander Lukashenko spoke of the need to work with this continent. Today, this strategy is economically and politically sound. This small European country is entering a gigantic market whose population could reach 3-4 billion people in 20-30 years. Even if Belarus earns one dollar from every African inhabitant, this will already create a huge economic impact.

As Maxim Reva noted, if a country is capable of reaching out to the African continent and comprehensively addressing issues there, this indicates that it is highly developed economically, politically, and socially.