Slovenia is emerging as an unexpected, but increasingly visible, diplomatic player in Africa with efforts ranging from opening new embassies to championing efforts to combat climate change.

President Nataša Pirc Musar’s state visits to Kenya and Madagascar in late May and early June come on top of a steadily intensifying African engagement strategy led by Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon. 

Slovenia’s outreach is part of the country’s medium-term foreign policy strategy, which states that Ljubljana is “actively striving to enhance cooperation with the countries of sub-Saharan Africa at all levels, either directly or through the European Union”. Within the strategy, Slovenia prioritises relations with South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Cabo Verde, the foreign ministry said. The aims include stronger political dialogue, deeper economic ties and closer development cooperation, particularly in science and technology.

Though a small country of just over 2mn people, Slovenia brings a blend of technological competence and humanitarian ethos to the table, on top of its Cold War-era legacy of solidarity with Africa and other emerging regions. 

“Both our countries share a belief in multilateralism, recognising that peace, justice and prosperity should not be the privilege of some at the expense of others,” Pirc Musar declared during Kenya’s Madaraka Day celebrations in Homa Bay.

During the Yugoslav period, Slovenia was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement and one of the few non-African contributors to the Organisation of African Unity’s Liberation Committee. Those historical ties still resonate, especially among older African elites who recall Yugoslavia’s diplomatic balancing act during the Cold War.

Yugoslavia’s largest successor state, Serbia, has also been working to deepen ties with African countries and other members of the Non-Aligned Movement. 

Today, Slovenia’s diplomacy in Africa is defined less by ideology than by efforts to boost trade and investment. Trade volumes are still relatively low, albeit rising; bilateral trade between Slovenia and Kenya, for example, grew by 50% in 2024 to reach a modest €2.7mn. 

In Nairobi, Pirc Musar and her Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto, signed a memorandum on political cooperation and pledged deeper collaboration in fields as diverse as artificial intelligence, pharmaceutical production and sustainable agriculture – all areas where Slovenia is already strong and seeking to develop further, the country’s Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič said in a recent interview with bne IntelliNews. 

During Pirc Musar’s Kenyan visit, a Slovenian-Kenyan project for digital monitoring of water resources, powered in part by a Slovenian satellite, was announced. “I am inspired that we can help protect Kenya’s water resources with a Slovenian satellite,” said Pirc Musar. “Such partnerships build community resilience, strengthen knowledge and promote peace.”

With a rich beekeeping tradition, Slovenia is also working with the World Food Programme on a project to introduce modern beekeeping practices in drought-stricken areas of northeast Kenya.

From Kenya, Pirc Musar’s trip continued to Madagascar, where she signed a memorandum of cooperation with President Andry Rajoelina and the two heads of state expressed a shared commitment to climate change mitigation and development aid. It was the first-ever state visit by a Slovenian president to the island country – a move intended to “affirm solidarity with the island’s most vulnerable populations”, according to the president’s office.

These high-level visits follow efforts by Slovenia’s top diplomat, Fajon, who has been on a diplomatic offensive across the continent. In the last few years, Fajon visited countries including South Africa, Ethiopia, Morocco and Benin, signing a series of memoranda of understanding and opening new embassies in Addis Ababa and, from June 2025, Rabat.

After the opening of Slovenia’s embassy in Addis Ababa this spring, Slovenian ambassador Kristina Radej told the Ethiopian News Agency that the move would significantly strengthen Ljubljana’s and relations with Ethiopia and the region. Radej referenced the “people-to-people contacts” leading to a “strong foundation of trust” dating back to the Yugoslav era. 

In Benin, Fajon signed the first ever memorandum on political and diplomatic consultations with her counterpart Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, highlighting Ljubljana’s commitment to expanding its reach beyond established partners.

Morocco has also emerged as a key interlocutor. During talks in April 2025, Rabat and Ljubljana agreed to deepen cooperation in renewables, logistics and automotive manufacturing – sectors where Slovenia has significant expertise. The upcoming opening of a Slovenian embassy in Rabat, mirrored by Morocco’s plans to open one in Ljubljana, is expected to give “new impetus to cooperation,” according to officials.

Slovenia has also developed its relationship with Algeria, which has become an important supplier of natural gas to southern Europe. In May, Slovenian gas supplier Geoplin and Algeria’s state-owned gas producer Sonatrach signed an extension of their natural gas supply contract, ensuring a continued and uninterrupted supply of gas to Slovenia in the coming years. But the relationship goes beyond gas; the two countries also recently took a significant step towards enhancing collaboration in space technology following high-level meetings between the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL), the Slovenian Space Office and representatives from both countries' space industries. 

Meanwhile, the annual Africa Day international conference held in Slovenia brings African and European stakeholders together in what officials describe as a forum for “mutual understanding and strengthened cooperation.” The event has grown in stature and now serves as a soft-power platform for Ljubljana’s broader African engagement.

Africa is gaining increasing international attention not just as a supplier of raw materials – though this is a part of Slovenia’s relationship with countries like Algeria – but also because of the huge opportunities that lie ahead. Sub-Saharan Africa is forecast by the UN to be the only world region with a population that will continue to grow until the end of this century. Africa also has some of the world’s fastest-growing economies, though reforms are needed for some to reach their full potential. 

When it comes to what Slovenia has to offer its African partners, Ljubljana is amping up the niches where it is particularly strong such as technology, pharma, sustainability and beekeeping. As African countries seek diversified partnerships and greater agency in international affairs, Ljubljana’s message of shared multilateralism and scientific collaboration has found receptive ears.