China has surpassed the United States as the most influential power in Africa in 2023 in terms of "soft power." This is the result of a survey carried out in 36 African countries among thousands of citizens aged 15 and over by the US polling firm Gallup.

The latter compiled its findings in a report titled "Rating World Leaders 2024: The U.S. vs. Germany, China and Russia". According to the document, in 2023, 58% of surveyed African citizens deemed China influential on the continent, up from 52% in 2022. Meanwhile, the perception of the United States as an influential power in Africa dropped to 56% in the past year, down from 59% the year before.

Over the past year, positive perceptions of China's influence have seen double-digit increases in seven African countries, including Ghana (+15 points), Côte d’Ivoire (+14 points), Senegal (+14 points), and Guinea (+12 points).

Conversely, perceptions of Washington's influence in Africa saw significant declines in Uganda (-29 points), Gambia (-21 points), and Kenya (-14 points).

The report also reveals that perceptions of Germany as an influential power in Africa improved by three percentage points, rising from 51% of respondents in 2022 to 54% in 2023.

However, the most substantial increase was recorded for Russia. 42% of Africans surveyed now believe Russia is an influential power on the continent, up from 34% in 2022. Moscow is particularly seen as highly influential in Sahelian countries like Mali (89%), Burkina Faso (81%), and Chad (76%).

Soft power, coined as a concept by American professor Joseph Nye in the late 1980s, describes a country's non-military tools of power, such as the attractiveness of its cultural, ideological, or political model, its connections with foreign elites and populations, diplomacy, and international alliances.