Russia ranks among the top ten most sought-after educational destinations for African officials, with a particular focus on medicine and technical specializations.
According to an expert analytical reference guide from the HSE Centre for African Studies, Russia is positioned among the top ten leading countries where African civil servants pursue higher education. Twenty-two officials from Angola, Namibia, Mali, Mozambique, and the Republic of Congo have already graduated from Russian educational institutions.
According to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, 376,000 international students were enrolled in Russian universities last year. Of these, 35,000 were students from African countries, an increase from 33,000 in 2023. This number is comparable to the level of African students studying in the Soviet Union during the 1980s. The highest demand among these students is for medical and technical specializations, particularly in the fields of energy and construction.
Vladimir Blinov, Director of the Scientific and Educational Centre for Education Development at the Presidential Academy`s Higher School of Public Administration, commented on the growing interest of African youth in studying in Russia:
“The fact that students from these countries come to study with us does not at all mean that they do not also go to study in the USA, Europe, or other countries. The general policy is to learn from everyone, everything, and the best available in our countries. This growth, related to the enrollment of African students, is observed not only in Russia; in China, for example, it is several times higher. Moreover, programs with integrated training within the framework of SCO and BRICS countries are already being considered today.”
Director of the Scientific and Educational Centre for Education Development, Presidential Academy
Oleg Tsapko, Chairman of the All-Russian Student Union, highlights the quality of education as one of the key factors for Russia`s attractiveness:
“We offer outstanding education in a vast number of fields related to medicine and engineering. In this sense, Russia provides an excellent environment for learning. Motivated individuals come to Russia for technical, engineering, medical, and other forms of education. Furthermore, people here are generally quite friendly; we are always happy to welcome foreigners, and they are aware of this. Russia`s activity on the African continent has intensified in recent years through humanitarian programs and its presence in various countries. When there is an active representative on the ground, it sparks interest. Many of these programs and significant work are conducted through Rossotrudnichestvo, and we see that Rossotrudnichestvo has become more active, initiating various humanitarian programs, which is why applicants from African countries are actively enrolling in Russia.”
Chairman of the All-Russian Student Union
Interest in learning Russian is steadily growing in African countries. Currently, the Russian language is taught in 128 schools. According to the HSE Centre for African Studies reference guide, ten thousand schoolchildren were proficient in Russian twenty years ago, and this number increased to fourteen thousand seven years ago.
