NATIONAL INTEREST AND GREAT POWERS' POLITICS IN AFRICA: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENTS OF CHINA IN KENYA, RUSSIA IN BURKINA FASO, AND THE UNITED STATES IN NIGERIA (2020-2025)
Keywords:
National interest, Great powers, Geopolitics, Africa, Political realismAbstract
The study undertook a comparative analysis of China’s economic engagement in Kenya, Russia’s security-oriented involvement in Burkina Faso, and the United States’ strategic partnership with Nigeria. Strategic motivations underpinning the involvement of great powers in Africa have remained a source of concern and informed this study which sought to examine how the pursuit of national interest by major global powers shaped their political, economic, and security engagements in Africa between 2020 and 2025, as well as the implications of these engagements for the continent’s development and sovereignty. Relying on realist theory of power, the study adopted documentary method for data collection and content analysis mechanism for data analysis. The findings revealed that great power engagements in Africa were predominantly driven by strategic and security considerations rather than normative commitments to development or democratic governance. It was also found that these engagements produced uneven outcomes, strengthening certain state capacities while undermining sovereignty, accountability, and public legitimacy. The study therefore recommended the strengthening of institutional transparency, adoption of diversified foreign policy strategies, and the reorientation of foreign military cooperation toward long term security sector reform since Africa’s ability to benefit from great power engagement depended largely on the capacity of African states to articulate and defend clearly defined national interests.References
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