China, Russia or US? Africa can gain more by remaining neutral than by picking sides

A section of African heads of state who attended the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit. [Courtesy]

Some three decades since the end of the Cold War, the world order is undergoing a structural transformation. At the heart of it is the challenge posed to the hegemony of the US. This is primarily being led by Russia and China which are discontented with Washington's excesses across the global stage. The most recent example of this rebellion was the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Fiona Hill, a British-American foreign affairs specialist, observed that the war was a "proxy for a rebellion by Russia and the 'Rest' against the United States".

The African continent is an obvious contender for major power courting as this realignment takes place. This is for at least four reasons.