Russian-Malian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation

As part of the Kazan Economic Forum "Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum", a meeting of the Russian-Malian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation (IGC) was held, chaired by Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilev together with the Minister of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Mali, Alousséni Sanou. The delegation of the Republic of Mali included 8 ministers, representatives of the Presidential Administration of Mali, and other senior officials.

During the IGC, the parties discussed cooperation in the fields of energy, agriculture, transport, mineral exploration and extraction. An important agenda item was the discussion of cooperation in the education sector. It was noted that joint projects in education will become the foundation for further deepening bilateral cooperation.

The high interest of the Malian side in education in Russia was noted. Currently, over 1,000 Malian students are studying in Russia, both on quotas and on a commercial basis. In 2026, the quota for the admission of Malian students was increased. Furthermore, the importance of developing joint educational programs, internships, and advanced training for Malian specialists at Russian educational institutions was emphasized.

A separate meeting took place between a representative of the RAFU Project Office, Coordinator of Cooperation with the Republic of Mali, Issa Togo, and the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Bourama Kansaye, as well as several other representatives of the Malian delegation. The meeting addressed issues related to RAFU's participation in advanced training for Malian specialists and prospects for developing cooperation between Russian and Malian universities.

Bourama Kansaye highly appreciated the results of the RAFU Consortium's work in supporting the reform of higher education in the Republic of Mali and noted the importance of advanced training programs for Malian specialists, which, in response to Mali's request, will be implemented in 2026. Eight Russian universities plan to train 53 Malian specialists in advanced training programs in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics, digital technologies in industry, raw material extraction and mining contracts, energy conservation and renewable energy, medicine and pharmaceuticals, and cultural heritage preservation and museology.

Jacqueline Konaté Sogoba, Director General of the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics of Mali, who was present at the meeting, expressed that a group of 15 people is ready to begin training in a 6-month professional retraining program in the field of artificial intelligence, which will be implemented jointly by Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and the Moscow Aviation Institute.

The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Bourama Kansaye, also supported the idea of developing joint educational programs, including double-degree programs between leading Malian and Russian universities.

"The Republic of Mali and the Russian Federation have very strong long-term cooperation. It can be said that this is strategic cooperation between our countries," noted Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Bourama Kansaye.