Two African ministers, Sierra Leone's Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Julius Mattai, and Guinea-Bissau's Minister of Natural Resources, Malam Sambu, who studied together in the Soviet Union meet at SPIEF 2024 decades later.
The two senior officials greeted each other warmly before a session, which brought a smile to the faces of journalists and other participants in the discussion.
"I studied in the Soviet Union, in Krivoy Rog from 1986 to 1992," Mattai told journalists in Russian, adding: "We lived with Malam in the same dormitory, on the same floor. And we met here today for the first time in 30 years."
SPIEF 2024 is held in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg on June 5-8 under the theme the Foundations of a Multipolar World – the Formation of New Areas of Growth.