MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic University presented the project “Russian-African Network University” (RAFU) in Tanzania

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

The first meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Russian-Tanzania Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation was held in Tanzania. The parties agreed to begin work on a whole range of issues, including science and higher education, and also emphasized the importance of developing a regulatory framework for cooperation.

The Russian Center for Science and Culture (Russian House) in Tanzania hosted a Russian-Tanzanian inter-university meeting, organized by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. The Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia Stepan Sokolov gave a welcoming speech, thanking the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Tanzania and the Russian House for their assistance in organizing our meeting.

Today we have an excellent opportunity to discuss current issues of developing cooperation between Russian and Tanzanian universities. The Russian Ministry of Education and Science attaches great importance to strengthening educational cooperation with Tanzania. It is worth noting that, as part of the training of national personnel for Tanzania for the 2024-2025 academic year, within the quota of the Government of the Russian Federation, 90 places for study in Russian higher education institutions have been allocated for Tanzanian citizens, as well as for the 2023-2024 academic year, – said Stepan Sokolov.

Cooperation between Russia and Tanzania will be able to significantly expand the scope of interests and practical results in science, educational and methodological work, will improve the quality and versatility of professional training of personnel, and will also contribute to the familiarization of the peoples of Russia and Tanzania with the peculiarities of national cultures.

From the Tanzanian side, the meeting was attended by representatives of the University of Dodoma, the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Dar es Salaam Tumaini University (DarTU), and the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA).

The Russian side included representatives from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Sevastopol State University, Samara State Technical University, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Patrice Lumumba Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, Russian State Humanitarian University, and A. A. Kadyrov Chechen State University.

SPbPU was represented by Maxim Zalyvskiy, head of the project office of the Russian-African Network University (RAFU), which is coordinated by the Polytechnic University on behalf of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science.

Russian participants spoke about the activities of their universities, areas of professional training, and academic exchange programs.

Representatives of Tanzanian universities received information about the Consortium “Russian-African Network University” (RAFU), which is the flagship project of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science to create a single Russian-African educational space.

At the moment, more than 80 Russian universities and more than 30 African organizations from 12 countries have joined the consortium. Such African countries as Malawi, Gambia, Lesotho, Sudan, and the Central African Republic are currently considering their participation in RAFU. Through RAFU, we are already inviting African countries to actively participate in our events, especially in such events as the Summer Multidisciplinary University, which is being held for the third time this year, noted Maxim Zalyvsky.

This year, from July to September, 19 Russian universities conducted 19 educational programs for African students in various fields: geology and meteorology, ecology and sustainable development, computer science and artificial intelligence, medical and biotechnology, agriculture and water management, as well as Russian language, culture and traditions. During the Summer University in 2024, about 290 African citizens studied.

On October 29, agreements between Russian and Tanzanian universities were signed in the Pushkin Hall of the Russian House in Dar es Salaam. The Russian-African Network University Consortium signed memorandums of accession to RAFU with Tumaini University (Dar es Salaam) and the Association of Graduates of Russian and Soviet Universities in Tanzania.

In addition, representatives of Russian universities took part in the opening ceremony of an exhibition at the Russian Center of Science and Culture dedicated to the contribution of the USSR to the liberation of African peoples from colonial oppression.

Together with employees of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, Maxim Zalyvskiy spoke at a business forum on strengthening business ties between Russia and Tanzania. The Russian delegation was headed by the head of the Ministry of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov.

The importance of cooperation with Tanzania is difficult to overestimate. The country occupies an advantageous position on the African continent, it could become for Russia, as well as in the global logistics chain, a continuation of the development of the North-South transport corridor. Now the parties are actively discussing the prospects for cooperation between Russia and Tanzania in the field of agriculture, digitalization of the economy, and tourism. There is great potential in the energy sector, the development of peaceful nuclear energy, and the extraction of minerals. I am confident that the busy program of the first meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Russian-Tanzania Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation and the agreements signed in Tanzania, including between educational organizations, will give an additional impetus to the development and strengthening of Russian-Tanzanian economic, tourist, and educational ties, Maxim Zalyvsky emphasized.

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