RAFU universities presented educational programs for the Polytechnic University of Bandiagara, Republic of Mali

A delegation of universities from the RAFU consortium, including representatives from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Russian State University for the Humanities, and St. Petersburg State University of Veterinary Medicine, visited Bamako as part of a project to support the reform of the higher education system in the Republic of Mali.

The visit began with a meeting between representatives of RAFU universities and Mali's Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Professor Bourema Kansai, which was attended by rectors of Malian universities and heads of research centers. The participants discussed priority areas of partnership, including joint work on the creation of the Bandiagara Polytechnic University and the development of the National Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.

The highlight of the visit was the presentation of 29 key educational programs developed by leading universities of RAFU for the new Polytechnic University of Bandiagara being established in Mali. These programs are geared toward integration into Mali's educational system and are designed to train highly qualified specialists who meet the modern needs of the country's economy.

In addition to the three universities present, representatives of other RAFU universities joined the videoconference: Tomsk Polytechnic University, National Research University "Moscow Power Engineering Institute", Saint Petersburg State Agrarian University, and Astrakhan State Medical University.

Dmitry Arsenyev, Vice Rector for International Affairs at SPbPU, noted: "We are sincerely pleased with the active development of cooperation between Russian and Malian universities. The 29 educational programs that have been prepared represent a practical contribution by Russian universities to the ambitious goals facing Mali's higher education system. We expect that the visit will result in the formation of specific roadmaps for each of the eight priority areas of training."

The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Professor Buruma Kansai, welcomed the participants of the meeting, expressed gratitude to Russian universities — members of RAFU — for their effective work throughout the year, emphasized the importance of further strengthening cooperation, and called on all Malian universities to join the Russian-African Network University consortium in order to jointly develop Russian-Malian partnership in the field of education and science.

The final days of the visit were devoted to working meetings on determining Mali's staffing needs, discussing the roadmap for cooperation in 2026, and a ceremony to sign agreements on the accession of 19 Malian universities to the RAFU consortium.

"The strategic partnership with the Republic of Mali is a clear example of how Russian universities are ready to share their best practices and expertise to achieve common goals. The creation of a new polytechnic university in Bandiagara is a project for the future, and St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, as the flagship of engineering education in Russia, is proud to contribute to this endeavor. I am confident that our cooperation will become a driver of socio-economic development in Mali,"said Andrei Rudskoy, Rector of SPbPU, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Chairman of the Presidium of RAFU.