KFU part of 2023 Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum

The event is being held in Saint-Petersburg on 27-28 July. Delegations from 49 African countries are attending, including 17 heads of state.

In his plenary speech, President Vladimir Putin mentioned that there are currently 35 thousand African students in Russian unviersities. In the next academic year, 4,700 places in universities will be allocated for them as government-funded enrolment quota in Russia. Branches of Russian universities are to be opened in African countries; one of the soonest such openings is KFU’s Cairo Branch in Egypt.

The forum’s first day comprised two panels on education: Cooperation in Higher Education in Modern Geopolitical Conditions (headed by Aide to the President of Russia Andrey Fursenko) and Russia and Africa: Prospects for the Development of Inter-University Cooperation (headed by Rector of Moscow State University Victor Sadovnichy).

Vice-Rector for International Affairs Timirkhan Alishev, KFU’s representative at the event, comments, “Africa is one of priorities in KFU’s internationalization strategy. There are 1.4 billion people here, with half of the population younger than 35. This means high demand for higher education.”

KFU’s is currently third in popularity in Russia among African students enrolled under government-funded quotas. There are 350 students from the continent as of now, mostly from Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Zambia, and Tunisia. KFU is also part of the Russian-African Network University.

Next week, three young scientists from Kazan University will join the BRICS Young Scientist Forum South Africa Forum in Qheberha.