Academic cooperation discussed at the 2026 Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow with KFU’s participation
The third Russia–Africa Summit is taking place in Moscow on October 28–29, 2026. On its opening day, as part of the Economic and Humanitarian Forum, the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education held a strategic panel session entitled Directions for the Development of Educational Cooperation between Russia and Africa.
The discussion was moderated by Timirkhan Alishev, KFU’s Vice-Rector for International Affairs.
Opening the discussion, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Konstantin Mogilevsky outlined how the presence of Russian education in Africa is evolving.
“Today, more than 37,000 citizens of African countries are studying at Russian universities, and their numbers continue to grow. We are steadily increasing the admissions quota for African countries. Importantly, Russian education is establishing a presence on the continent itself: branches of Kazan Federal University and St. Petersburg State University operate in Cairo, where thousands of young people earn Russian degrees without having to travel far from home. African graduates of Russian universities build careers in their home countries, becoming leading experts, public officials, and successful entrepreneurs,” Mogilevsky noted.
According to the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, approximately 4,800 places were allocated to African countries for the 2025/26 academic year under the Russian Government’s admissions quota. The Cairo branches of KFU and St. Petersburg State University were established by a decree of the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt in 2023. In December 2025, Konstantin Mogilevsky visited the Cairo Branch of Kazan Federal University.
Participants in the discussion included Jean-Laurent Syssa-Magalé, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technological Innovation of the Central African Republic; Carolyne Nombo, Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Technology of Tanzania; the heads of St. Petersburg State University, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, and the Russian State University for the Humanities; and Yakov Itskov, Director of RUSAL’s Alumina Business.
The participants discussed training professionals for African countries, including through African Union initiatives; improving the legal and regulatory framework; the work of the Russian–African Network University and the Minerals of Africa consortium; academic mobility programs; and Russian language learning. Particular attention was paid to training specialists for the mining sector and involving industry partners in this process.
Kazan Federal University has been steadily expanding its engagement with Africa. More than 270 students from 36 African countries study at KFU’s main campus, most of them under the Russian Government’s admissions quota. On the continent, the university is represented by its Cairo Branch, where more than 3,000 students from Egypt, Sudan, and Libya, as well as several Middle Eastern countries, are enrolled in General Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy programs. The Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education has designated Kazan Federal University as the coordinator of the Russian–African Network University for 2027–2029.