№ 2 (60), 2025. PIR Center releases analytical report «From the Gulf to Sub-Saharan Africa: The Development of Digital Technologies and Russia’s Interests»

Africa Digital Technologies Persian Gulf

MOSCOW. FEBRUARY 4, 2025. PIR PRESS. “The digital world continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and this trend is characteristic not only of the Gulf States but also of the Sub-Saharan region. Expanding ties in cyberspace present opportunities for these regions while also introducing new threats. International cooperation with leading digital players, including Russia, provides additional leverage for enhancing national capabilities,” – Leonid Tsukanov, PIR Center Consultant.

PIR Center is pleased to announce the completion of its analytical report “From the Gulf to Sub-Saharan Africa: The Development of Digital Technologies and Russia’s Interests.” The author of the report is Dr. Leonid Tsukanov, PhD in Political Science and Consultant at PIR Center.

This report is the result of two PIR Center research projects:

Both projects, launched in 2023, aim to refine existing methodological approaches to analyzing developments in the Gulf and Sub-Saharan Africa while also formulating academic and practical (political) recommendations for strengthening cooperation at both the intergovernmental level and within business dialogues across various high-tech sectors.

The study builds on the analytical frameworks established in PIR Center’s previous reports (in Russian):

This new analytical report also considers political, economic, and technological changes in the regions over the past 18 months. It focuses on a broader analysis of the digital dimension of international security, with an emphasis on AI regulation, digital assets, and other advanced technologies.

Key Takeaways from the Report:

The scale of the digital divide in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Persian Gulf varies from country to country, even within the same region. Joint approaches to security and politico-economic cooperation in the digital space are still untested and largely remain reactive.
In addition to the relatively late digital development of most countries in these regions, common challenges for Sub-Saharan Africa and the Persian Gulf states include the rigidity of legislative frameworks, the persistence of outdated government institutions with overlapping functions, and an unbalanced dialogue between the state and business.
Russia’s experience as an active player in the global digital space is of interest and in demand in both Sub-Saharan Africa and the Persian Gulf.
Cooperation between Russia and a significant number of countries in these regions remains reactive and, in some cases, situational.
Competition for the markets in the Persian Gulf and Sub-Saharan Africa is currently intense, particularly in areas such as artificial intelligence technologies, cybersecurity, and software.
The top three leaders in terms of the pace and scale of digital dialogue development remain, in descending order of influence, China, the United States, and the European Union. India is rapidly increasing its indicators. Russia aims to avoid direct confrontation with leading tech players while advocating for open and fair competition.

A summary of the report and key graphic materials are available in a special issue of PIR Center’s Security Index in Russian.

Last year, PIR Center also published English-language summaries of reports on the development of high-tech sectors in Africa and the Gulf.

The report has been prepared within the framework of the joint project of PIR Center and MGIMO University Global Security, Strategic Stability, and Arms Control under the auspices of the Priority-2030 Strategic Academic Leadership Program.

Keywords: Africa; The Gulf; Digital Technologies

AFR, GULF

F4/SOR – 25/02/04