Russia-Africa Summit: Russia’s Vision of Sovereignty, a New Path for Senegal?

At the Russia-Africa Summit forum, Maksim Oreshkin, deputy head of Russia’s presidential administration since May 2024, presented Moscow’s view that countries can choose their degree of independence and use partnerships with Russia to pursue it. He described three levels of sovereignty: total dependence on foreign solutions, independent management built on imported solutions, and the development of domestic solutions and platforms. His chart places Senegal among African countries with strong growth potential, with just over half its population living in cities and GDP per capita near the lower end of the scale. The article considers how this framework relates to Senegal’s efforts to gain greater control over its resources, data and economy.