Russian universities show great interest in cooperation with West African institutions, director of the Center for Public Diplomacy (CPD), a Moscow-based educational and cultural NGO, Natalia Krassovskaya, told Sputnik Africa.
"We have created a consortium of Russian universities, which includes 25 universities and represents all areas of education at all levels. This is bachelor's, master's, postgraduate [degrees]. And Russian universities have a great interest in working with universities in West Africa," the CPD director said on the sidelines of the international SOAFEC forum dedicated to education, science, economy and culture held in Niger's capital, Niamey.
The Russian delegation participating in the forum is represented by three major Russian universities, two high-tech companies and other groups, Krassovskaya pointed out.
"And as the work becomes more widespread and intensive, Russian universities have shown great interest in visiting Niger in person and getting to know Niger's universities personally," she said.
One of the forum's sessions discussed a comprehensive educational program for the Nigerien economy proposed by the CPD and the consortium of Russian universities, which provides for early preparation of African students for admission to Russian higher education institutions through a system of specialized classes and retraining of teachers from African universities.