Russia trains highly qualified specialists for Africa

"Under the Admission Plan for the academic year 2023/24, the number of quotas for African students has been doubled. For 2024/25 we plan to maintain the number of quotas at the same high level. In total, more than 34 thousand citizens of African states are studying in Russia in the current academic year. In accordance with the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation, approved by the President in 2023, strengthening and deepening of Russian-African co-operation is one of the priorities for Russia," Dmitry Pyshny said.

The deputy minister also added that currently 29 intergovernmental agreements on the recognition of education, 20 interdepartmental memoranda and 25 intergovernmental agreements on cooperation in science and higher education are in force with African countries. Another 32 draft documents on co-operation are under consideration.

In the sphere of scientific and technological co-operation, five joint projects selected through a special grant competition are being implemented. Russian organisations are working on them together with partners from Egypt, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Guinea. A new selection is planned to be held in May this year.

During his speech, Burema Kansae, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Republic of Mali, supported the intention to develop bilateral co-operation and noted that for Mali, where young people make up a large share of the population, the training of qualified personnel and scientists is essential for the development of the economy. He also suggested considering the possibility of recognising Malian diplomas in Russia and organising joint scientific research.

Saidou Mamadou, Minister of Higher Education and Science of the Republic of Niger, noted that co-operation with Russia is already developing, and its main directions are engineering education and energy. The country has large uranium reserves and needs qualified specialists in engineering and oil and gas. Medical education, whose Russian standard is highly valued in African countries, also remains relevant.

The need for specialists for the priority extractive industry was also emphasised by the Deputy Minister of Education of the Republic of Guinea, Sekou Traoré - bauxite, iron and gold are valuable resources in their country.

The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Republic of Burundi, Francois Hawyarimana, also pointed out the importance of mobility of researchers. He invited Russian specialists to conduct joint scientific research in the African country.

"For its part, the Russian Ministry of Education and Science is ready to continue to assist our African colleagues in training specialists at Russian universities and establishing contacts between our educational and scientific organisations," summed up Dmitry Pyshny.