This is not a distant problem. It has now reached the shores of Tanzania where it is publicly known that the Bbadi Foundation, a local non-governmental organization, has met with Alabuga representatives to explore partnerships aimed at recruiting Tanzanian girls into the programme
By Richard Lamu
Across Africa, foreign recruitment schemes are increasingly targeting young people with glossy promises of education, jobs, and international exposure. But behind the polished brochures and warm words lies a much darker reality.
One of the most alarming examples is the Alabuga Start Programme, a Russian initiative that has been identified by international watchdogs as a front for recruiting young women into factories producing drones used in warfare. The target for this programme – women between 18 and 22 years.
While there is silence in some southern African countries, others like South Africa and Namibia are acting.
Attempts by promoters of this recruitment scheme to recruit the services of influencers for promotion purposes have hit a snag, with South African women, young men and the government speaking out to warn girls against falling victim to human trafficking.
This is not a distant problem. It has now reached the shores of Tanzania where it is publicly known that the Bbadi Foundation, a local non-governmental organization, has met with Alabuga representatives to explore partnerships aimed at recruiting Tanzanian girls into the programme.
To the unsuspecting eye, this might look like an opportunity for growth. But evidence from elsewhere shows it may, in fact, be a trap – one that can swallow the lives of young women who should be preparing for university, careers, and family life.
The Alabuga Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Russia’s Tatarstan region is known for its role in manufacturing combat drones. Just last month, on August 9, and again on August 12, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) launched long-range drone strikes on Alabuga’s facilities in Kyzyl-Yul, targeting warehouses where Shahed drones were stored. Footage reportedly showed the impact of the second strike.
These are not symbolic attacks as they show the key role Alabuga plays in Russia’s war machine, and the direct danger of sending our daughters into a military production site that is already a target of international warfare.
The human cost of these schemes has already been exposed. On July 21, Russia’s own Zvezda television released a documentary openly showcasing teenagers working at Alabuga Special Economic Zone (SEZ), where the Iranian-designed Geran-2 drones are built. In the footage, young women, including African girls, can be seen assembling parts of these machines of war.
This was not a hidden camera exposé; it was proudly broadcast to the Russian public. That choice is revealing: Moscow no longer feels the need to hide the militarisation of children and foreign recruits.
Reports by CNN and The Guardian indicate that some children are being funnelled into Alabuga through summer camps and video-game competitions designed to disguise their role in weapons production.
The US Treasury has already sanctioned Shagivaleyev for exploiting underage workers, but, sadly, the recruitment continues.
Botswana has already raised the alarm. Its Interpol office is investigating Alabuga’s activities, citing fears of human trafficking and exploitation under the guise of education. Tanzanians must ask themselves a hard question: if another African country is treating this as a national security and human rights threat, why are we still hesitating?
The danger is not just theoretical. Here is reality: picture a young woman from Morogoro or Mbeya, whose parents, eager to give her a chance at a better life, agree to let her travel abroad under this programme.
She leaves with hope in her heart, only to find herself trapped in a Russian industrial zone that is not only militarised but also under active attack.
Her passport confiscated, her labour conscripted into assembling drones, and her life put at risk, not just from exploitation, but from the very real possibility of being caught in the crossfire of a war zone because Ukraine may continue to retaliate.
Ultimately, her dream of attaining an international education turns into an unbearable nightmare of exploitation and danger.
This is the human face of what is at stake. Our daughters, sisters, and nieces cannot be treated as expendable commodities in a geopolitical war they do not understand, and did not choose to be part of.
Tanzania has a responsibility to act decisively. The government should launch an urgent investigation into the Alabuga dealings and immediately suspend any recruitment efforts connected to the programme.
Our ministries responsible for foreign affairs, gender, and home affairs must collaborate with law enforcement and regional security agencies to ensure no Tanzanian girl is trafficked under this guise.
The public also deserves transparency – parents, schools, and community leaders must be fully informed about the dangers of such schemes.
At the same time, this should serve as a wake-up call for Tanzania to invest more in creating safe, dignified opportunities for its young people here at home.
If our daughters seek better prospects abroad, it is often because such opportunities are scarce at home. The government must begin to address that gap.
Tanzania’s legacy has always been one of peace, solidarity, and protection of the vulnerable. The time to act is now before Tanzanian girls, unaware of the fate that awaits them, sign up for this programme. The government must protect them and society must shield them from human trafficking schemes.
Richard Lamu is a political analyst and journalist with interest in investigative and feature reporting. He is based in Gaborone, Botswana
