The partnership with Russia can strengthen the training of Central African doctors and therefore have a beneficial impact on the health of the population, Minister of Higher Education of the CAR Jean-Laurent Syssa-Magalé explained to Sputnik.
Collaboration between Russia and the Central African Republic extends far beyond the security spheres and can have direct effects in certain civilian sectors. In medicine, Moscow can support the training of Central African specialists or share its skills in the manufacture of vaccines, Syssa-Magalé detailed to Sputnik.
"Russia's expertise in the training of virologists and the production of vaccines is an opportunity for the promotion of the health of the Central African population [...] We will need this Russian expertise to adjust, support and stimulate the training of medical specialists and the supervision of our researchers," told the senior official.
He specified that Russian assistance could prove beneficial in training in public health, epidemiology, but also in environmental safety or chemical pollution. The partnership with Moscow would also allow for an "improvement in educational content" for students in these fields.
Russia-Africa Summit
Syssa-Magalé also expects that the Russia-Africa Summit, which will be held in St. Petersburg from July 26 to 29, will give impetus to this cooperation. The Minister hopes that several agreements will be reached on this issue, in particular, to facilitate the travel of students from one country to another.
"This next summit is a framework for exchanges that will surely allow the signing of several agreements for higher education and scientific research, in order to settle our expectations in favor of a partnership for mobility for example of students, teachers-researchers, as well as the transfer of skills," he explained.
Other African states have strengthened their academic ties with Moscow, promoting bridges with Russian universities. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is betting on learning Russian to better welcome new investors, or open up still unexplored paths for future generations.
Russian education in the field of engineering and high technologies is especially popular with young people in Congo, Muhindo Nzangi Butondo, the country's minister of higher education, recently told Sputnik.