Online lecture «Education in Russia» revealed the prospects of cooperation for Africa

On April 15, as part of the international forum of journalists “Russia-Africa. Road of Friendship and Cooperation,” the online lecture ‘Education in Russia’ was held.

Maxim Zalyvsky, head of the project office of the consortium “Russian-African Network University” (RAFU), presented the report “Russia and Africa: prospects for scientific and educational cooperation.” He spoke about the creation of RAFU in 2021 to unite the educational space of the two continents and strengthen ties between Russian and African universities. Zalyvsky emphasized Russia's respectful attitude to the cultures and traditions of other countries and called for joint work to create opportunities for development and learning. He also noted that if there is demand, RAFU is ready to consider the possibility of hosting open educational courses of Russian universities for journalists on its platform.

Alla Mazina, Secretary of the RAFU Presidium, spoke about the education system in Russia and opportunities to enter Russian universities on a grant basis, using the example of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU), one of the largest technical universities in Russia. Polytechnic has 33 thousand students, of which more than 5 thousand are international students from 107 countries of the world. Alla Mazina noted the high level of education in Russia and the availability of comfortable student campuses and also spoke about adaptation programs for international students, such as the Student Buddy Program, which helps students adapt to Russia without knowing the language.

Zalyvsky emphasized the accessibility of Russian education, even compared to some African countries, and Russia's willingness to share its expertise in areas important to Africa, such as engineering, agro-industry, and medicine. 

In 2025, the RAFU Information Center was inaugurated at the Russian House in Addis Ababa during the visit of Valentina Matvienko, Chairperson of the Federation Council. The Center is designed to strengthen scientific and educational cooperation between Russia and Ethiopia and promote Russian education on the African continent.

The Alfa Dialog Center, which is also part of the RAFU consortium, thanked the speakers for highlighting the work for the participants of the international forum of journalists “Russia-Africa. The Road of Friendship and Cooperation.”