Russia expands education efforts in Africa

Partnership agreements have been concluded with Guinea, Somalia, Sierra Leone, CAR, Chad, and Equatorial Guinea

Russia’s federal agency for international cooperation has signed agreements to establish Russian Houses in six African countries, Rossotrudnichestvo chief Yevgeny Primakov announced on Monday. 

The deals with Guinea, Somalia, Sierra Leone, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad and Equatorial Guinea are aimed at boosting educational and cultural ties. 

“Demand from local communities for Russian education, the Russian language, and cultural connections is far greater than the current network of officially existing Russian Houses. We are responding to public requests from our friends around the world,” Primakov said. 

With the new agreements, the total number of countries hosting partner Russian Houses will increase to 16.

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Dmitry Sytyy, the head of a Russian cultural center in CAR, highlighted the importance of the projects, saying they will open up opportunities for Africans to receive an education in Russia.

Scholarships are provided for foreign students at Russian universities based on the popularity of Russian language and preparatory classes in their home countries.

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The 2023-24 academic year saw the number of Russian scholarships for African students increase from 2,300 to 4,700, with an average of five people competing for each place, Rossotrudnichestvo reported last year.  

Along with partner Russian Houses, there are also Centers of Russian Culture and Science run directly by Rossotrudnichestvo in Algeria, Guinea, Somalia, Sierra Leone, the CAR, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Sudan, along with Bolivia and the UAE.