Russia to Allocate Over 4800 State-Funded Places for African Students in 2025
During the recent Russia-Africa Partnership Forum held in Russia’s Sirius Federal Territory, Kirill Bogomolov, Deputy Head of Russian humanitarian cooperation agency Rossotrudnichestvo, announced that the number of state-funded places allocated for African students in Russian universities is set to increase. In the 2024-2025 academic year, a total of 4,746 state-funded places were allocated for African students, and this number is expected to rise to 4,816 in the following academic year.
This initiative is part of a strategy to enhance collaboration between Russia and African countries in various sectors, including politics, security, economics, science and technology, as well as cultural and humanitarian fields. The aim is to strengthen partnerships and cooperation in higher education and scientific research between Russia and African nations.
According to a report by Sputnik, the largest beneficiary countries of the state-funded places quota in the region during the 2024-2025 academic session were Egypt, Algeria, Angola, Chad, Mali, Congo, Nigeria, Zambia, Benin, Guinea, and Zimbabwe. Konstantin Mogilevsky, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education, noted that the number of African students in Russian universities has tripled over the past 13 years, with a significant increase of 4000 students since the previous academic year.
However, there have been concerns about the safety of African students in Russia following the crisis in Ukraine. Reports from Bloomberg suggested that thousands of migrants and African students were being forced to fight alongside Russian troops in the war against Ukraine, providing additional manpower for the offensive in the Kharkiv region. Recruiters allegedly targeted migrants and students with promises of lucrative work before coercing them into training and deployment to the front lines.
These reports were refuted by the Nigerian foreign ministry, which stated that no Nigerian student had reported being coerced into joining the Kremlin’s mission in Ukraine. The ministry emphasized the safety and well-being of Nigerian students studying in Russia.
Overall, the increase in state-funded places for African students in Russian universities reflects a growing commitment to strengthening educational ties between Russia and African countries. This initiative aims to provide more opportunities for African students to pursue higher education and contribute to scientific research in collaboration with Russian institutions.
