SPIEF 2024
The 2024 edition of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) takes place from June 5 to 8. The theme of this year's event is “The foundation of a multipolar world - forming new points of growth”.

Africa Experiencing ‘Explosive’ Growth in Demand for Learning Russian, Ministry of Education Says

In late March, yet another Russian language center opened on African soil, this time in Niger's capital, Niamey. The center will develop educational programs for children and adults studying Russian, conduct scientific, methodological, and educational events, as well as educational work.
Sputnik
An "explosive" growth in demand for learning the Russian language has been observed in African countries in recent years, Deputy Minister of Education of Russia Denis Gribov told Russian media on the sidelines of the 2024 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

"The dynamics are going up; we really see a demand, even in our open Russian education centers that operate on the African continent, how eagerly they [Africans] come and want to learn the Russian language. All kinds of people come: children, adults, representatives of various sectors of the economy. In recent years, the dynamics have been explosive. We are talking [about] the last 2-3 years," he said.

He also noted that in Algeria alone, about 4,000 applications for training were received per day when the Russian language center opened there.
According to Russia's Ministry of Education, 37,000 students from African countries are currently studying in Russian universities, and 200 are studying in colleges.
In total, there are about 30 centers for studying the Russian language in African countries.
Features
International Russian Language Day Celebrated in Ethiopia
Last Thursday, the world celebrated Russian Language Day — a holiday established by the United Nations in 2010 to promote the Russian language and its rich cultural heritage across the globe. The date June 6 was not chosen by chance; on this day, famous Russian writer and poet Alexander Pushkin (who, by the way, has African roots) was born. He is considered a key figure in the development of the Russian literary language.
At the celebration of this holiday in Ethiopia, Russian Ambassador to the African country Evgeny Terekhin emphasized the growing interest in the Russian language in Ethiopia, adding that there is a demand for its study among young people who plan to study at Russian universities.