A new language center will also be launched in Bamako

Russian Education Week kicked off in Mali on Monday, as Moscow expands its cultural ties across the continent, the Russian Ministry of Education has announced on Telegram.

A week dedicated to Russian education and science was organized by the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU), acting as the coordinator for the Russian-African Network University Consortium (RAFU).

International meetings will be held in the main venues: The National School of Engineering in Bamako, the University of Humanities and Social Sciences of Bamako, and the Private University Ahmed Baba. 

According to the Russian Ministry of Education, the Russian Language Center, the SPbPU and RAFU Information Center, and the Pre-University Training Center will be launched in Mali by these universities. 

The SPbPU rector, Andrey Rudskoy, noted the dynamic role of the universities' consortium in infrastructure projects, saying: "The universities of the Russian-African Network University Consortium are now not only actively developing cooperation in education with African universities, but are also beginning to participate in major infrastructure projects with the participation of industrial partners. 

"The training of personnel and joint implementation of these projects in the field of nature management and environmental protection, the development of new systems of management and protection of natural resources, the development of clean energy, and the preservation of cultural heritage will be the main areas of work of RAFU." 

A signing ceremony for the contracts of the new African members of the RAFU consortium will take place during Education Week.

Meanwhile, from November 14 to 17, Russian Language and Culture Days were held in Cote d'Ivoire and Senegal to promote Russian language, education, and culture.