HSE Center for African Studies participated in the events of the business program of the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum

The delegation of the HSE Center for African Studies participated in the preliminary event of the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum on December 19, 2025 in Cairo, Egypt. The event was organized by the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development (EAPD).

As part of the business program, a dialogue «Strengthening trilateral cooperation» was held. Its participants discussed tools for building an equal and mutually beneficial partnership between Russia and African countries.

The dialogue was moderated by Andrey Maslov, Director of the Centre for African Studies. He noted the unique nature of the meeting, and also spoke about the development of Russian-African relations:

«For the first time in history, an official Russia-Africa event was held in Africa. Russia has already taken many steps and is assisting African countries in the field of humanitarian supplies, educational cooperation, and expanding cooperation in the field of ICT. For example, the HSE Centre for African Studies has been implementing an e-Governance Knowledge Sharing Program for African officials strarting from 2023», - said Andrey Maslov.

Continuing the dialogue, Egypt's Deputy Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Hefny Mahmoud spoke about the history of Russian-Egyptian cooperation, noting joint projects in the fields of education, nuclear energy (El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant) and technology development.

«This Power Plant is not only a turnkey project, but, above all, an example of a technological transfer that other companies cannot offer», - Abu Bakr Hefny Mahmoud admitted. 

Bourema Kansaye, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Republic of Mali focused on Russian-Malian cooperation in the field of education.

«Personnel training is a central issue that affects all aspects of Russian-African cooperation», - said the minister, who studied in Russia. 

Konstantin Mogilevsky, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, also focused on Russian-African educational cooperation. He said that more than 32,000 African students study at Russian universities, of which 4.7 thousand are funded by scholarships from the Russian Government.

«We treat our African friends with great respect. Respect is the key word because, together with our desire for equal and mutually beneficial cooperation, it is one of the two pillars of our dialogue. Russia supports the free development of Africans, development in their own interests», - Konstantin Mogilevsky emphacized. 

Valery Karezin, Director of Educational Programmes at Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, spoke about Rosatom's work on the development of industrial and educational partnership. According to him, more than 400 students from 23 African countries are studying in Egypt in relation to El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant. Besides, there are joint training programs and field lectures provided through Corporation. 

Evgeny Lyubin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at St. Petersburg Mining University, spoke about the university's projects in the African field, including the African Subsoil Consortium and the Russian-African Raw Materials Dialogue that was held November 2025.

«Africa has a rich resource potential, which should become the basis for its sovereignty and development. This can be achieved only through personnel training, since there is no technology without personnel», - he admitted. 

Alexander Stuglev, Chairman of the Management Board and Director of the Roscongress Foundation, noted in his speech that cooperation with Egypt makes it possible to create a platform for interaction with Africa.

«Egypt is a strategic partner for Russia, and at the same time serves as a foundation and key to the interests of African countries for the whole world, including Russia», - he explained the choice of location for the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum.

Summing up, the participants of the dialogue expressed their willingness to continue constructive dialogue on relevant international platforms, noting the importance of the discussion format for launching new joint Russian-African projects.

Also, on the sidelines of the Conference, the delegation of the HSE Centre fro African Studies held meetings and negotiations with delegations of 8 African countries and international organizations. During the bilateral meetings, Andrey Maslov spoke about the e-Governance Knowledge Sharing Program for African officials and presented the second edition of the expert and analytical handbook Africa 2025: Prospects and Challenges. The African side was invited to review future publications of the Centre, as well as to participate in educational and expert events.