Brazil Has Lost Influential Role in Africa, Scholar Says

Be it for economic or geopolitical reasons, Russia, China, India, Turkey, and the United States have been reaching out and trying to strengthen ties with the African continent.

On August 23, China announced that it would pardon loan debts held by 17 African countries and redirect US$10 billion of its reserves at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to African nations. This amnesty has been in place since the early 2000s, according to a study conducted by the Johns Hopkins University.

These moves raise a question: where does Brazil stand in the race for Africa's potential? Sputnik Brazil spoke with João Bosco Monte, president of the Brazil Africa Institute (Ibraf), to find out how the Brazilian nation is maintaining its relationship and dialog with the other side of the ocean.

In terms of a contemporary global context, Bosco pointed out that at the height of the pandemic, between 2020 and 2021, China’s direct investment in African countries was quite significant and that there were several infrastructure projects taking place in various African cities.

However, he continued, China has recently created a large agenda of cooperation with many nations in Africa through a program of trade cooperation zones. The Chinese government has outlined 16 countries to be included in this agenda.

“One cannot leave aside the One Belt, One Road [New Silk Road], a bold project that has led several African heads of state to hold talks with [Chinese President] Xi Jinping on several occasions,” he recalled.

IBRAF’s president also noted that some countries have sought "objective attention".

“Russia has increased its influence in Africa through strategic investments in energy and minerals. The African Export-Import Bank held its annual meeting outside the African continent in Moscow in 2018. This is a very important symbolic event. Last year, the Biden administration announced plans to increase trade and investment between the United States and Africa quite significantly. The starting point was the redrafting of a program developed by Donald Trump called Prosper Africa, which encourages the partnership of American companies with African business partners so that African-based industry is better developed and African products would gain access to the shelves of various markets,” Bosco said.

Still, according to him, another important actor that has been standing out more recently in relations with the continent is Turkey.

Bosco noted that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has visited Africa more than once. This year, he has attended several meetings with his African counterparts.

“The investment agenda through the Turkish cooperation agency is very intense. There is an important fact regarding Turkish Airlines: currently the company has 53 African cities as destinations for its flights. It is an enormous figure, compared to what happened in 2011; at that time, there were only 18. This gigantic growth demonstrates Turkey's interest in the African continent as a whole,” the expert noted.

What About Brazil?

Once first-time partners, today’s foreign policy of Jair Bolsonaro's government has led Brazil to an oceans distance from Africa, metaphorically and literally. This is because during his entire tenure, the president has not made a single visit to any African country.

“There is not a single political figure in Brazil today that calls for talks with Africa. For example, the president of Brazil has never traveled to the African continent in his almost four years in office. This has a very big negative image, because the government shows no specific interest in having a dialog. While other nations have already demonstrated, have already taken the steps, their contacts have demonstrated openness and great interest in dialog and doing business with Africa," IBRAF’s president emphasized.

Map of Africa, highlighting Uganda

CC0 / ItsMirkwoodGirl /

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is competing with Bolsonaro and is leading the presidential race according to the most credible polls, should tailor a rapprochement with African countries if elected, as Celso Amorim, former foreign minister and top foreign policy adviser, pointed out in an exclusive interview with Sputnik Brazil earlier this month.

According to Bosco's assessment, Brazil has lost much of its close, direct, and objective relationship with the African continent.

He recalled that in 2003, when then-President Lula said that Africa would be a priority for his government, he undertook several trips to the continent, taking with him many public officials and entrepreneurs, who talked with their African counterparts in a very clear and direct way.

According to IBRAF’s president, this “demonstrated the interest of the government and the country, which kept firm and objective connections with the African states.”

“We lost our connection with Africa while other countries saw great opportunities in dialog, as well as in doing business with Africa. Brazil lost its role as an influential player on the African continent. In a short time, Brazil stopped being a loyal friend, a strategic partner for African nations, not only Portuguese-speaking countries, which, on their own, already represent value for us because the linguistic component is very important and has to be considered. But other factors as well (cultural, emotional) can and must be taken into consideration. Brazil is not getting closer and not using these advantages to bring the parties closer together," he said.

Wasted Potential

Out of the ten fastest-growing nations in 2019, seven are located on the African continent, Bosco noted. He further added that the region is able to meet the needs of agriculture, with the supply of agricultural components and fertilizers, coveted items in times of scarcity due to the economic sanctions imposed on Russia for its special military operation in Ukraine.

Ibraf's president explained that the African continent has an agenda of narrowing the gap between its countries through the African continental free trade zone, which was implemented in 2021 and creates a single continental market for goods and services among 54 countries, with businesses and investments that will certainly expand and reshape the African economies.

“There is a very strong internal drive that puts the continent as a leader in the world's trade agenda. There is no region with this size and potential. And Brazil can approach and have a direct relationship with these countries. What is the solution for us to find a pragmatic answer? It is to have interest, a real interest. Without it, there are no conditions for us to seek an objective course of action. There is also an opportunity that arises, which is the sea and air route that Brazil can establish with and in Africa, connecting not only Brazil, but also South America, to the continent. Brazil can be the bridge between the two worlds, apart from becoming a partner in the African continental free trade zone. We have much to gain, but we need to put our pragmatic actions into objective reality,” Bosco concluded.