Professional development for Tanzania at SPbGLTU: Trip to Corporation Rus and meeting with the leadership of the Committee for External Relations of Saint Petersburg

On October 1, as part of the professional development program "Technologies for Efficient Use of Forest Resources," a trip took place to the production complex of LLC "Corporation 'Rus'" in the settlement of Sosnovo.

The company operates in the fields of woodworking and construction, providing a full production cycle from sawmilling and drying to the design and turnkey construction of facilities. The company's structure includes woodworking workshops, a transport and logistics division, an architectural bureau, and a design studio. The company's products — from private houses to large public and sports facilities — are in demand throughout Russia.

During the tour, participants viewed the production facilities, including the woodworking and metalworking workshops, and also visited the enterprise's laboratories. The visit concluded with a round table where prospects for partnership were discussed.

The parties expressed mutual interest. The Tanzanian colleagues were attracted by Russian woodworking technology, issues of reforestation, and the possibility of student internships at the enterprise. For their part, representatives of the "Rus" company expressed interest in studying the range of Tanzanian wood species available for import, as well as in conducting an analysis of the demand for this raw material on the Russian market.

The visit was productive. Participants showed interest in woodworking technologies in Russia, highly appreciated the company's environmental responsibility, and the effectiveness of the full-cycle production model.

On October 2, a protocol meeting took place between participants of the professional development program "Technologies for Efficient Use of Forest Resources" and the leadership of the Committee for External Relations of Saint Petersburg.

During the meeting, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of Saint Petersburg Nizami Adilkhanovich Mamishev emphasized the importance of partnership between Russia and Tanzania in developing environmental cooperation. He noted that strengthening partner relations with African countries is one of the priority areas of Saint Petersburg's international activity, and expressed readiness for further development of interaction in the field of forestry and ecology. At the end of the meeting, the parties exchanged commemorative gifts.

Then the program participants were given a tour of Smolny. The guests were told about the history of the Institute for Noble Maidens, as well as about the period when the building became the main headquarters of the October Revolution. A separate item of the program was a visit to the historical bunker, which today functions as a museum. The facility is usually closed to visitors, so participants had a rare opportunity to see it from the inside.

In the afternoon, the group went to the "Komarovsky Shore" ecological trail. Participants walked out to the Gulf of Finland and then continued along the route through the forest. Accompanying subject-matter specialists spoke about the characteristics of the local forests, plant species, and how the state ensures the protection of natural areas and supports their biodiversity.