Great Powers in Africa: China, Russia, the US and the Gulf
China is Africa's largest trading partner, Russia's Africa Corps has taken over from Wagner in the Sahel, and the United States, the Gulf states, Turkey and India are all bidding for ports, minerals and military access. The contest now reaches from the Lobito railway and Gulf-run ports to bases and arms deals in the Sahel.
This page gathers our reporting, explainers and the latest prediction-market odds on who backs whom across the continent. It updates automatically whenever we publish a new story.
Start Here
Key Analyses
- Africa: The New Scramble
- The Gulf’s Quiet Push to Run Africa’s Ports
- China Slashes Africa Lending 46% as Kenya and Angola Race to Refinance Old Debts
- US and EU Pour $6 Billion Into Lobito Corridor as China Revives TAZARA Rail Rival in Zambia
- France Africa Military Withdrawal Ends Sahel Bases as Russia’s Africa Corps Moves In
- Chinese Belt and Road Investment in Africa Hits Record US$33.5 Billion
Country Guides: Foreign Powers and Investors
The Players and the Arenas
Russia and the Africa Corps
The Africa Corps in the Sahel, arms deals and Moscow's mining and energy interests.
- Uganda Questions US$25M Russian Plate System14 Oct
- Kenya Says 84 Citizens Dead or Missing in Russia’s War10 Oct
- Mali’s Army and Russia’s Wagner Killed and Tortured Civilians, Amnesty Says29 Sep
- Report Maps 289 Online Channels Luring Kenyans to Fight for Russia27 Sep
China
Loans, ports, rail and mines: Beijing's lending, trade deals and security ties across the continent.
- Egypt Taps Chinese Firm for 1 of 4 Terminals14 Oct
- Kenyan Builders Sue, Saying Tax Breaks Help Chinese Firms Underbid Them24 Sep
- China Arms Mali With Armored Vehicles and Air Defense20 Sep
- Eritrea Just Came Off the US Sanctions List. Its Mines Are Chinese19 Sep
The United States
Sanctions, visa curbs, trade and minerals deals, and Washington's pressure on African governments.
The Gulf States
The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar: port concessions, investment pledges and the rivalries they bring.
- Elsewedy Electric Signs US$2.2bn Saudi Deal14 Oct
- Tanzania and Qatar Sign Tax Treaty on Double Taxation1 Oct
- Zambia Tells UAE Investors Inflation Kept Falling Through Its Election30 Sep
- Zambia Tells Copper Miners to Buy Local While Courting UAE Investors29 Sep
Europe, Turkey and India
France's withdrawal from the Sahel, EU diplomacy and the newer players, from Turkey and India to South Korea.
Ports, Corridors and Finance
Where the money goes: Lobito and TAZARA rail, the Suez Canal zone, port terminals, lending and currency swaps.
What the Markets Say
Source: Polymarket, prices as of 15 October, 09:25 Lisbon. Market prices are bets, not forecasts by The Rio Times.
Latest on Great Powers in Africa
- Elsewedy Electric Signs US$2.2bn Saudi Deal14 Oct
- Uganda Questions US$25M Russian Plate System14 Oct
- Egypt Taps Chinese Firm for 1 of 4 Terminals14 Oct
- Uganda’s UN Envoy Warns of ICC Exit After US Sanctions10 Oct
- Kenya Says 84 Citizens Dead or Missing in Russia’s War10 Oct
- Madagascar Army to Get 100 French Drones by Year End7 Oct
- Zambia’s US Health Deal: Specimen Clause Dropped From US$1.5 Billion Pact6 Oct
- Tanzania and Qatar Sign Tax Treaty on Double Taxation1 Oct
- Zambia Tells UAE Investors Inflation Kept Falling Through Its Election30 Sep
- Zambia Tells Copper Miners to Buy Local While Courting UAE Investors29 Sep
- Mali’s Army and Russia’s Wagner Killed and Tortured Civilians, Amnesty Says29 Sep
- Report Maps 289 Online Channels Luring Kenyans to Fight for Russia27 Sep
- Kenya’s Exports to the UAE More Than Double After Iran War Slump26 Sep
- Kenyan Builders Sue, Saying Tax Breaks Help Chinese Firms Underbid Them24 Sep
- Algeria Accuses UAE of Trying to Sway Two Presidential Elections20 Sep
- China Arms Mali With Armored Vehicles and Air Defense20 Sep
- Eritrea Just Came Off the US Sanctions List. Its Mines Are Chinese19 Sep
- Guinea’s President Meets Russian Aluminium Producer Rusal, With No Figures Announced17 Sep
- Russian Africa Corps Commanders Approve Mali’s Drone Strikes, an Investigation Finds17 Sep
- US Visa Restrictions Hit South African Officials16 Sep