Neocolonial Debt: Vladimir Putin, Thomas Sankara and the 1987 Truth That Still Rings True

At the Russia-Africa economic and humanitarian forum in Moscow, Vladimir Putin quoted Thomas Sankara’s 1987 warning that debt is a form of neocolonialism. He accused Western states of keeping African countries financially dependent through financing terms he described as exploitative. Putin also pointed to the colonial legacy in African infrastructure and said the value added by the continent’s processing sector remains below 2%. He said Russia helps ease some African countries’ debt by converting claims into funding for national development projects, and called for reforms to the IMF and World Bank to give Africa a stronger role in their decisions.