A Moscow think tank pitches Russia as the Sahel's uranium partner now that France and Orano are out. Also here: Chad's unlimited presidential terms, Ethiopia's new central bank chief and Kenya's $2.6 billion dam.
With the French contingent gone and Orano’s subsidiary nationalized, Sahel uranium is open to new partners. On September 18 at MGIMO, PIR Center consultant Alexandra Zubenko presented a report naming Russia as a key potential partner for the Alliance of Sahel States and proposing a “resources for security” approach: mining projects that also create local jobs, support food security and build social infrastructure. The same issue follows Russia’s softer channels across the continent, from Russian language classes in Harare and Malabo to a new trade representative in Algeria.
The Africa Now bulletin of September 20, 2025 brings together 23 stories, drawn from official statements, government orders, Reuters reporting and local media.
Scope
In the Sahel, parliamentary leaders handed Ibrahim Traoré the draft legal text of a confederative parliament for Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, and the Alliance of Sahel States marked its second anniversary. Next door, Chad’s National Assembly approved seven-year presidential terms with no limit on reelection, which opposition leader Albert Pahimi Padacke said meant Chad “chooses the path of rejecting democracy.”
Russian presence appears in many small forms. Mikhail Mishustin appointed Alexey Shatilov as trade representative to Algeria, youth organizations from Tyumen and Kaliningrad signed memorandums with Moroccan partners, a Perm university held a Russian culture festival in Zimbabwe, and a Russian-Nigerien NGO delivered medical aid to Niger’s Dosso region.
Economy and politics complete the picture: Eyob Tekalign’s appointment to head Ethiopia’s central bank, Nigeria’s plan to hand control of oil contracts to a regulator, Kenya’s $2.6 billion High Grand Falls Dam, fighting on four fronts in North Kordofan, protests in Pretoria against Eswatini’s deportation deal with the United States, and Egypt’s explanation of its troop buildup in Sinai.
Excerpt
PIR Center consultant Alexandra Zubenko presented a report on current uranium mining industry conditions in Sahel countries, development forecasts, and potential cooperation with Russia. The presentation occurred on September 18 at MGIMO University, outlining regional mining potential, mineral sales opportunities, peaceful atom development, and partnership expansion following the withdrawal of the French contingent and the nationalization of Orano’s subsidiary.
Zubenko emphasized that while Sahel countries face security challenges due to regional terrorism, they could pursue “resources for security” approaches with comprehensive projects creating local employment, ensuring food security, and developing social infrastructure. She noted Russia as a key potential partner for the Alliance of Sahel States in this sphere, given expanded contractual and institutional cooperation since 2022.
Sergey Konyashin, Sahel Uranium After France (Africa Now, Démarche, September 20, 2025)