On Tuesday, February 24, 2025, as the Russia-Ukraine war marks its third anniversary, MakanDay Centre for Investigative Journalism examines the conflict’s largely overlooked impact on Africa.
By Charles Mafa
Three years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war’s ripple effects continue to be felt worldwide. While the conflict may seem geographically distant—confined to Eastern Europe—its consequences for Africa are undeniable.
Russia and Ukraine were key suppliers of staples such as wheat, fertilisers, and fuel to many African nations. The war has severely disrupted these supply chains, triggering a sharp rise in food and fuel prices that has excessively affected the continent’s most vulnerable populations.
The destabilising impact on Africa’s food security
According to a recent report by ODI, the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), the Economic Research Forum (ERF), and the Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP), Russia and Ukraine were major wheat suppliers to African nations. In Kenya and Egypt, for example, wheat imports from these two countries once accounted for as much as 85% and 67% of total supply, respectively.
Fertiliser, essential for agriculture, has also become scarce and costly. Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Senegal, and South Africa previously sourced between 11% and 41% of their fertiliser imports from Russia and Ukraine. As a result, food prices have surged, pushing millions into food insecurity, the report notes.
The disruption of Ukraine’s grain exports, which provided much of Africa with affordable wheat, has resulted in widespread food shortages. The World Food Programme (WFP) has reported a sharp rise in hunger levels across the continent, particularly in African countries like Libya which rely heavily on Ukrainian exports.
The war has worsened the economic outlook for many African nations by driving up global food and energy prices. According to the African Development Bank (AfDB), the conflict is exacerbating inflationary pressures in countries already facing high levels of debt and economic instability.
Recruitment of young African women
Most recently, as reported by this publication, young African women have been deceitfully recruited to manufacture drones at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Russia’s Tatarstan.
Lured by promises of scholarships and career opportunities, they instead found themselves assembling suicide drones used to target civilians in Ukraine.
The Russian “Alabuga Start” programme, marketed vaguely as an educational or work-study initiative, is now facing serious allegations of being a harsh labour and indoctrination scheme targeting young African girls.
The programme primarily targets young African women, offering the allure of a high monthly salary—double the average earnings in their home countries and significantly more than such positions typically pay in Russia. The programme also promises work training, long-term accommodation, and integration into Russian society.
The Zambian Immigration Department did not respond to MakanDay’s request for comment on the exact number of young Zambian women who have recently traveled for this programme. However, MakanDay’s investigation found that four have recently joined.
Further investigations by MakanDay have revealed the involvement of organisations such as the Zambia-Russia Graduates Alumni Association (ZAMRUS) in Zambia.
In Tanzania, representatives of Alabuga Start visited Brighten Dreams and Dignity (BDADI) Foundation, an educational NGO that facilitates recruitment in the country, and held discussions with its founder, Sharifu Dadi. According to a post on X, the project team introduced the international programme Alabuga Start during the meeting, leading to several agreements.
One of the agreements was for BDADI Foundation to participate in recruiting candidates from Tanzania and serve as an official programme ambassador in the country.
According to LinkedIn, BDADI was founded by Sharifu B. Dadi, who was born in Newala, Mtwara, Tanzania, on April 16, 1996. Dadi has yet to respond to MakanDay’s emailed request for comment.
Other organisations, such as Smile Nation Foundation, based in The Gambia, West Africa, have also avoided MakanDay’s questions. When MakanDay reached out for information about the programme, the organisation provided a Google document outlining the enrolment procedure but has yet to respond to follow-up inquiries.
MakanDay has also established that several organisations and individuals are actively promoting the Alabuga Start programme in different African countries. These include:
- South Africa: The Word Institute Academic Coaching and BRICS Student Commission
- Uganda: Lubiri Secondary School, ‘Russian Peace’ House, and the Uganda National Students’ Association
- Madagascar: Ryshar Rakutuniryn and Friends of Russia
- Togo: Universal Education
- Somalia: Nile Foundation
- Democratic Republic of Congo: Andy Services
- Central African Republic: Keeliam McClyn, Enangue Holding, and Gutenberg Socrate Tamboye
- Ghana: Ameyaw Debrah
- Namibia: Jujuvine
- Angola: Augusto da Silva Cunha
- Burkina Faso: Bassirou Zoma
- Kenya: Irene Maswan
Additionally, some governments have established links with Alabuga Start through their ambassadors, including Angola, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, and Uganda.
Although advertised as “an international programme from Russia offering a free flight and the opportunity to earn well, even without work experience,” the programme remains shrouded in secrecy. The Russian government has remained silent, refusing to provide clear explanations despite repeated efforts to seek answers.
MakanDay has identified several red flags, including the failure of both the Russian Embassy in Lusaka and the organisations involved in recruitment to provide the names of successful returnees from the Alabuga programme.
To date, there is no evidence to support claims that the Alabuga programme delivers the high-end lifestyle it advertises.
Read the full story here:
Recruitment of young African men to fight for Russia
Russian proxies have also forcibly recruited young African men to fight and die in Ukraine. Among them were 23-year-old Zambian student Lemekhani Nyirenda and 37-year-old Tanzanian national Nemes Tarimo. Both were imprisoned in Russia on dubious drug charges, offered freedom in exchange for fighting with the Wagner Group (which is funded by the Kremlin), and later died on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Nyirenda, a second-year nuclear engineering student at Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI), was arrested in April 2020 and sentenced to nine years at Tyer Medium Security Prison on the outskirts of Moscow for alleged drug possession. Without his family’s knowledge, he was recruited by the notorious Wagner Group and sent to fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
In November 2022, Yevgeny Prigozhin, then head of the Wagner Group, admitted to recruiting Nyirenda from prison, claiming the young man willingly agreed to fight against Ukraine. Prigozhin later died in August 2023.
Wagner is a notorious private military company that has been described as a network of mercenaries, or a de-facto private army of the Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The group operates outside Russian law as private military contractors are prohibited in that country.
Read the full story here:
As Russia continues to leverage its influence in Africa, questions remain about the role of governments, organisations, and intermediaries facilitating these engagements. The lack of transparency surrounding programmes like Alabuga Start and the forced conscription of African prisoners highlight the urgent need for oversight, accountability, and protection of vulnerable populations.
However, convincing people in Zambia to talk to MakanDay about the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war hasn’t been easy. Many, including the embassies of major world powers, are understandably fearful, with a pervasive sense that Putin’s reach extends far beyond Russia’s borders.
Featured Image | Lemekani’s mother in black (centre) being consoled by other mourners at KK International airport
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