One of its latest moves includes opening an embassy in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, as part of a broader push that has seen Kyiv establish eight new diplomatic missions across the continent.
Since Russia's 2022 invasion, Ukraine has leaned on food diplomacy to engage Africa. Through the “Grain from Ukraine” initiative, launched in late 2022, it has shipped nearly 300 000 metric tons of food to African countries. In Mauritania, most of that aid has gone to the Mbera refugee camp, the largest in West Africa, which continues to receive a rising number of people fleeing violence in Mali.
“Everything on your table, food, even animal feed, could come from Ukraine,” said Reuters Zachary Goelman.
Ukraine’s growing presence on the continent also includes the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where it opened an embassy in Kinshasa in 2024. The country’s Ambassador to DRC, Vasyl Hamianin, said Ukraine must stay active to win over new partners.
“Ukraine has a lot to offer, and a lot to contribute,” he said. “We want to be involved in Africa in a meaningful way.”
But the effort goes beyond humanitarian assistance. Amid rising tensions between Mauritania and Mali, Kyiv has also offered to train Mauritanian troops, part of a broader effort to share its experience fighting paramilitary groups.
“We’re ready to assist in tackling threats we’ve faced here in Ukraine,” said Maksym Subkh, Ukraine’s top envoy to Africa. “Groups like Wagner and other destabilising forces are not just a problem for us, they’re active in the Sahel too.”
Mali, which has undergone two coups since 2020, has distanced itself from traditional Western allies and grown closer to Moscow. It has also contracted Russian mercenaries to help in its fight against armed groups. Russia’s wider footprint in Africa includes military operations, mining interests, and high-level summits that have drawn widespread attendance from across the continent.
Ukraine, by contrast, has struggled to gain similar traction. A planned Africa summit in Kyiv was scaled back to a virtual event after interest waned. Meanwhile, early in the war, many African nations chose not to support Ukraine in key United Nations votes, even as disruptions to Ukrainian grain and fertiliser exports drove up prices across Africa.
Still, there are signs of a shift. Tim Murithi, of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in Cape Town, South Africa (SA) said Ukraine’s engagement with Africa has become more focused.
“At first, their approach was a bit unclear,” he noted. “But over time, they’ve started showing real intent.”
That effort was on display in April when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy became the first Ukrainian head of state to visit SA. There, he highlighted possible co-operation on energy, fertiliser production, and security, while drawing historical parallels between Ukraine’s struggle for sovereignty and Africa’s own experiences with colonialism.
“It’s important that African people recognise Ukraine is also fighting for freedom and independence,” he said.
--ChannelAfrica/Reuters--
