Senegal: Russia economic isolation causing food insecurity in Africa

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On Tuesday, the Senegalese president and chairman of the African Union, Macky Sall, said that Western sanctions against Russian banks and their isolation from the SWIFT system will impede, and sometimes completely cut off food purchases by African countries.

Read more: West pressuring African countries to condemn Russia

"I also wanted to tell you that our countries are very concerned about the side effects of the disruption caused by the payment system being blocked by SWIFT over sanctions. When the SWIFT system is interrupted, it means that even if products are available, the payment becomes difficult or impossible. I would like to insist that this issue be examined as soon as possible by our ministers with the relevant competence to identify solutions," Sall said in a video call at a Brussels conference. 

Scarcity and the increasing cost of fertilizers will significantly lead to a decrease in domestic production, mentioning a 20-50% decrease in grain harvest in Africa in 2022. 

Africa looks to avoid a catastrophe, expecting global grain stockpiles to unblock, dodging "shortages and rising prices," according to Sall, who has expressed support for the UN's efforts to find solutions to the crisis.

See more: The global wheat supply crisis

On his part, the deputy speaker of the Russian upper house, Konstantin Kosachev, during a visit to Mozambique, said that Russia has been fulfilling its obligations on food, fertilizers, and energy in countries on the African continent.

"Russia is carrying out and will continue to carry out its obligations under international contracts for the export of food, fertilizers, energy, and other much-needed goods to Africa," Kosachev said, noting that Russia sees the importance, during the current circumstances, to support African countries as they grapple with food insecurity. 

The West lost Africa through 'Cold War-esque' policies, liberalism

The West lost Africa through "Cold War-esque" policies on the continent, through forcing the liberal democracy-style imposition of civilizational standards, in addition to US policies that have used Africa as a "backyard" to counter Russian and Chinese presence with no consideration for the welfare and interest of the African peoples, a Foreign Policy article, "How the West lost Africa", revealed on Wednesday.

The article addressed a Congress debate in April over a bill Washington would use to "counter the malign influence and activities" of Russia in Africa. The article draws on journalists' conclusions that US foreign policy, to a large extent, is fueled by geopolitical concerns and rivalry in Africa, mainly against Russia and China. The prosperity of Africans, on the other hand, falls irrelevant. 

Furthermore, the way Africans are addressed is also an issue. When conjured, African feelings have no room or consideration in the conscience of the neocolonial power. Recently, the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said, "we have to do additional work to help these countries to understand the impact of Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine." This holds an implication that African leaders need to be lectured and educated about who's who and what's what. The rhetoric is derogatory and implies a strong power dynamic. 

Liberal democracy styles, furthermore, have also failed the continent, according to Ghanaian historian Samuel Adu-Gyamfi. Liberalism entails liberal capitalism, which has sunken the continent into severe poverty and debt. In Adu-Gyamfi's perception, the IMF and the World Bank have led to dire developmental setbacks in African countries. Many imported policies have hurt development, such as "lockdowns, travel bans and vaccine mandates—pushed on Africa by Western-dominated institutions," as written in NewsAfrica.