No 12 (2024)

Currently, the environmental situation in the world is deteriorating due to population growth, urbanization, agricultural and industrial pollution of wastewater. This is especially noticeable in regions experiencing water shortages, one of which is the African continent. The work identified the necessary and sufficient levels of access of African countries to clean water and gave a forecast for their change, taking into account the changing demographic, socio-economic and military-political situation. The growing African population increases the demand for water to satisfy thirst and household needs, requires more food, which leads to an increase in water intake for agriculture and food production. In addition, military and political tensions on the continent cause cross-border movement of a large number of Africans, which increases the burden on host countries, increases the deficit of water resources, weakens sanitation, and leads to an increase in water-related diseases. To solve the problem of water shortages on the African continent, it is necessary to adopt comprehensive programs for the development of water management and increase its investment, raise the level of public awareness and train specialists in the field of water use.

Throughout the period of independent development of African nations, the peoples inhabiting them have been experiencing recurring political and socio-economic cataclysms, among which the problem of water scarcity has been gaining in prominence in recent decades. Despite the fact that Africa, especially the Congo River basin, possesses abundant water resources including full-flowing rivers, lakes, wetlands and groundwater, due to the lack of proper management and the shortage of qualified personnel and funds to develop adequate water intake and distribution infrastructure, the issue of providing the population with drinking water has become a major issue in almost all countries of the continent, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 98% of whose territory is located in this basin, which ranks second in the world in terms of the volume of discharge after the Amazon. The present article provides a description of the hydrological features of the Congo River basin and discusses the causes of the water shortages observed in the DRC, which have a negative impact on the development of not only the country’s economy and the provision of public services, but also on the health of the population. It is also noted that, unlike other regions of the continent, in the Congo basin there are no conflicts over access to water resources between the riparian states and, moreover, there is a permanent consensus among them on the issues of water use and recognition of the leading role of the DRC in their resolution.

The article shows the decrease in the share of the foreign sector in China’s trade turnover on average for 2018–2023. The share of Chinese foreign sector by type of enterprises (foreign-invested enterprises) was 37%, and according to the customs regimes (processing trade) – 23%. It was established that the share of processing trade was less than half of the foreign-invested enterprises trade. At the same time, the foreign sector continues to be one of the main sources of high-tech exports from China. It is shown that ordinary trade has become dominant in almost all product groups of Chinese exports, and the growth of foreign trade was ensured by private enterprises in the domestic sector of China. It is shown that the Chinese domestic sector increases the number of countries exporting its goods, while the export basket becomes more complex.

The crisis of neocolonial system in Africa has lately been shown by disintegration of “Françafrique” or the French neocolonial empire in the continent existing for about 60 years. The author is analyzing its political-military component, direct military intervention and use of the “soft power” such as the International Organization of La Francophonie. Rejection of this system, absence of security, corruption of the pro-French elites have produced a series of coups d’état in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger supported by the majority of population with its anti-French feelings. The new leaders are seeking and finding an alternative cooperation with Russia to strengthen the security, national sovereignty and economic development of their countries. There are examples of the military and political cooperation of Russia with the Central African Republic and other states. This course meets countermeasures of the West which is interested to keep on its neocolonial exploitation of the continent.