The growth of Africa's educational market has caught the interest of countries like Russia, which seeks to attract more African students and become a top-choice academic destination. To achieve this, several Russian universities have established joint programs and promoted academic exchanges, enhancing cooperation and mutual benefits, Lyubov Schmidt, Head of International Projects Department, Novosibirsk State Agrarian University, tells African Currents in an interview.
"We see that Africa is one of the biggest importers in the sphere of education, and its role in the educational market is growing. That is why we have to do a lot to promote and to demonstrate a rather evident and visible attractiveness of Russian education for African students, scholars, scientists, universities and society itself. And Novosibirsk State Agrarian University is one of the oldest agricultural and natural sciences university in Russia, and a thriving academic center, which is recognized and has unflagging interest among young people and teaching staff from Russia and all over the world," Schmidt acknowledges.
Also in the episode:
Natalia Krasovskaya, executive Director of Russia's Center for Public Diplomacy, outlined her organization’s efforts to strengthen educational ties between Russia and several African countries.
Leonid Issaev, deputy director, Center for Stability and Risk Analysis, National Research Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia, discusses the role of the Center in fostering Russia's relationships with Sahel states in Africa and the importance of building direct contacts and sharing information between Russian and African partners for enhanced mutual understanding.
Vera Verkhoturova, advisor to the Rector for International Affairs of Tomsk Polytechnic University and director of the Research and Training Center for International Nuclear Education and Career, delves into the institution's expertise in training engineers for the oil and gas industry and its broad experience working with Russian and international companies like Gazprom and Rosneft.
Natalia Sineeva, director of the Institute of International Affairs (IIA), Novosibirsk State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, conveyed the university's collaboration with African countries, emphasizing its alignment with strategic infrastructure development priorities.
To find out what else our guests had to say, tune in to the African Currents podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
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