SPbPU - participant of the second Russia-Africa summit

Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University will participate in the Economic and Humanitarian Forum of the second Russia-Africa Summit, which will be held in St. Petersburg on July 27 and 28.

One of the central issues to be discussed at the summit will be the development of cooperation with African countries in the scientific and educational sphere, including higher education. During the summit it is planned to consider aspects of forming new sustainable ties between universities of Russia and African countries, expanding personnel training in the interests of priority sectors of the economy and humanitarian sphere of the African continent.

These and many other topics will be touched upon on the first day of the summit during the meeting of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Valery Falkov and the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Republic of Mali Bouréma Kansaye, which will be attended by rectors of universities of the two countries.

To develop relations with the Republic of Mali, memoranda of cooperation between the consortium Russian-African Network University (RAFU) and several universities of the Republic will be signed.

Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University intends to create a network of centers for preparing for admission to Russian universities in the Republic of Mali and ECOWAS countries (Economic Community of West African States — Ed.). The Forum will include the signing of an agreement on the opening of the SPbPU Russian Language Center at the University of Languages and Humanities of Bamako, an agreement on the establishment of the SPbPU Pre-University Training Center at the Ahmed Baba University, and an agreement on the opening of the SPbPU Information Center at the Higher National School of Engineers.

The discussion of international cooperation issues will continue at the strategic panel of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation on the «Cooperation in Higher Education in Modern Geopolitical Conditions». The highlight of the event will be the ceremony of transferring the authority of the coordinator of the Russian-African Network University consortium to Polytechnic University — the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Valery Falkov will present a symbolic statuette to SPbPU Rector Andrei Rudskoi.

Polytechnic University participates in both the business and exhibition program of the summit. Several events will be held at the SPbPU booth in the presence of representatives of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and African ministers: signing of memorandums of cooperation between RAFU and Russian universities and universities of African countries, awarding of certificates to the students of the RAFU Summer University, who have completed the advanced training program at SPbPU. The ceremony of signing of cooperation agreements between SPbPU and universities of the Republic of Zimbabwe — Midlands State University and Harare University of Technology — is also planned. Vice Chancellor of Harare University of Technology (Zimbabwe), Professor Quinton Chamunorwa Kanhukamwe graduated from Polytechnic University in 1992. At the SPbPU booth, Rector Andrei Rudskoi will present the head of Zimbabwe’s leading technical university with a badge «Honorary Alumnus», copies of his diploma and personal file.

On the same day, the Plenary Session with the participation of the President of the Russian Federation v. V. Putin and the leaders of African countries will be held.

On July 28, one of the events of the business program of the Russia-Africa Summit will be held at the Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. The business breakfast «Nuclear Technologies for Sustainable Development of African Countries: the Role of Russian Graduates» will be held in the Technopolis Polytechnic research building with the support of Rosatom State Corporation and the Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia.

The participants of the event will exchange opinions and proposals on expanding Russia’s partnership with African countries through cooperation between higher education, university graduates and industrial companies in education, energy, medicine, agriculture and other areas to address socio-economic problems.

For reference:

The first Russia-Africa Summit was held on October 23–24, 2019, in Sochi under the motto «For Peace, Security and Development». Such a large-scale event was held in modern Russia for the first time and had no analogues in the history of Russian-African relations. Priority areas of economic cooperation were identified.