News

The experts of the HSE Center for African Studies have prepared and published a handbook on digitalization of public administration in Africa - “E-Governance in Africa 2024: Opportunities and Challenges”. The publication was reviewed by Moctar Seck, Head of the Innovation and Technology Sector of the UN Economic Commission for Africa.

On December 18, 2023, Moscow hosted the opening ceremony of the E-Governance Knowledge-Sharing Week for African officials, organized by the HSE Center for African Studies with the support of Innopraktika.

On October 31, 2023, the round table “Russian contribution to food security in Africa” was organized by the Rossotrudnichestvo. The HSE Center’s experts, Vsevolod Sviridov and Andrey Shelkovnikov, participated in it.

The delegation of the Centre for African Studies was on a working visit to Tanzania from October 19 to 28. With the assistance of the Russian Embassy in Tanzania, the Centre’s staff met with the leadership of the Tanzanian departments responsible for digitalization in order to inform them about the E-Governance Knowledge Sharing Program. The Center’s staff also met with representatives of Russian authorities and businesses and attended the Tanzania Annual ICT Conference (TAIC) and Tanzania Mining & Investment Forum.

On September 11, 2023, the first Council for Foreign and Defense Policy’s Lecture took place at the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs of the HSE University. The experts discussed Russian-African relations in the context of increasing the “agency” of Africa. The event was attended by Denis Degterev, Professor of the School of International Affairs at the HSE University, Maya Nikolskaya, researcher at the Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at the MGIMO University, and Andrey Maslov, Director of the HSE’s Center for African Studies. The discussion was moderated by Fyodor Lukyanov, Chairman of the Council’s Presidium and editor-in-chief of the “Russia in Global Affairs” Journal.

On July 26, 2023, a military coup took place in Niger, overthrowing President Mohamed Bazoum and forming the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, headed by Abdourahamane Tchiani. A month later, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the withdrawal of the French military from Niger. In their media comments, experts of the Center for African Studies of the HSE University analyze the events in Niger.

On 28 July, at the Second Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, a round table "Knowledge Sharing: Exchange of Experience in the Field of Digitalization of Public Administration" was held. The discussion was moderated by Anastasia Pavlenko, Deputy Executive Director and Director for Strategic Partnerships of the non-state development institute Innopraktika. The event was attended by Andrey Maslov, Director of the HSE University Center for African Studies and Coordinator of the Knowledge Sharing Program; Igor Lyapunov, Senior Vice President for Information Security at Rostelecom and General Director of Rostelecom-Solar; Souef Kamalidini, Minister of Post, Telecommunications and Digital Economy of the Comoros; Peya Mushelenga, Minister of Information and Communication Technology of Namibia; Orlando Mazuze, General Manager of MaCh Digital (Mozambique); and Adamu Garba, President of IPI (Nigeria).

On August 25, 2023, the RIAC round table on the results of the BRICS summit, which took place in South Africa on August 22-24, 2023, was held at the Izvestia Media Center. Andrey Maslov, Director of the Center for African Studies, spoke about the results of the XV BRICS Summit and the prospects for the organization's development through the creation of new institutions and admission of new members.