Russia will build a naval base on Sudan’s Red Sea coast, its first in Africa, as the Kremlin seeks to expand its global military footprint and cement its burgeoning trade and defence ties with the continent.

The Russian navy has been directed to proceed with plans to construct a base for 300 personnel and space for up to four warships, including nuclear-powered vessels, according to an order signed by president Vladimir Putin on Monday.

The base would be only Russia’s second naval facility outside the territory of the former Soviet Union, after Tartus in Syria. The announcement comes just over a year after Russia hosted its first geopolitical summit focused on relations with African states, to which it has ramped up sales of arms and investments in natural resource projects in recent years.