Novosibirsk State Technical University (NETI) expands strategic partnership with African countries. A series of events dedicated to Russian-African cooperation took place within the framework of the XII International Forum Technoprom-2025. The participants discussed both the implemented projects and the prospects for further cooperation.
As part of the expansion of cooperation with the Center for Public Diplomacy, it is proposed to open new preparatory faculties in new countries such as Ghana, Guinea, Mali and Rwanda; to implement joint educational initiatives with African universities, in particular, the development of joint educational programs; targeted training of highly qualified specialists in accordance with the economic needs of individual countries.
At the Technoprom-2025 forum, NSTU-NETI organized a series of events with the participation of ministers, ambassadors and rectors of leading universities in Russia and Africa. On August 28, the forum hosted a special session "The struggle for technological sovereignty. The experience of Russian-African cooperation", moderated by Sergey Chernov, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at NSTU-NETI. During the discussion, representatives of African countries, together with Russian experts, reviewed the prospects for international cooperation and the launch of joint projects. The foreign guests voiced relevant requests, including improving the level of education, training technical specialists who would solve problems in the field of industry, oil and gas and other industries, as well as conducting joint research. They expressed unanimous confidence that cooperation with Russia would contribute to strengthening national sovereignty.
Natalia Krasovskaya, Executive Director of the Center for Public Diplomacy, noted during the discussion that large-scale projects are being implemented in collaboration with African universities. Among them are the opening of preparatory faculties, the opening of "Russian Houses", the development of joint educational programs, and the organization of advanced training courses for teachers from Africa. "Interaction with the education systems of other countries enriches our education system and allows us to develop new teaching technologies," Natalia Krasovskaya emphasized.
A panel session "Presentation of successful projects of participants of the Consortium of Universities of the Russian Federation for the development of cooperation with African countries" was also organized at the forum. NSTU-NETI is a member of the consortium's coordinating council. Sergey Chernov, Vice-rector for Academic Affairs at NSTU-NETI, spoke about the experience of interaction with African countries. Thus, preparatory faculties have been opened in Niger and Burkina Faso on the basis of the partner houses of the Center for Public Diplomacy. The number of students was more than 150 people, more than 50 enrolled in NSTU-NETI. This is the largest set in these countries and the best result within the framework of the consortium. Russian Language and Culture Week was organized by the University, and an online intensive course for learning the Russian language through interactive activities. More than 100 students received basic communication skills in Russian. NSTU-NETI is implementing a targeted training program for the Sonidep oil company of Niger — from September 1, the first group of four students will begin their studies at the university. When there is a company ready to send students to study, their motivation is much more serious, Sergey Chernov is sure. He added that the university, for its part, offers the widest possible opportunities to ensure the success of studies.
"We have made it possible to obtain additional quotas for foreign citizens. Winners and prize-winners of the Olympiads can study at Russian universities. This is a promising and important area, and we strongly emphasize the need to increase these quotas in order to organize effective cooperation between our university and universities in African countries. We are open to cooperation in all areas: Russian language courses, teacher training, and the implementation of joint educational programs. And, of course, we would like to replicate our experience in creating preparatory faculties in other countries," said Sergey Chernov.
On August 29, a delegation of African countries visited NSTU-NETI. During the round table, the parties discussed the prospects for joint cooperation. The university management presented information about educational opportunities, research and development, and formulated proposals for cooperation. Russian Russian language centers in African universities, preparatory faculties, the implementation of additional professional education programs, including in the field of learning the Russian language, and the invitation of teachers to share experiences and improve their skills are among the promising areas.
"NSTU-NETI offers the implementation of joint research projects. We are interested in finding partners in your countries in order to implement research and development projects that have already begun or to work on new projects. Cooperation with enterprises is a very important component of cooperation. If an order is received from some department or company and a group is formed for targeted training, we are ready to develop an individual curriculum. We have developed the technology for launching preparatory courses, we know how to organize Russian language learning centers, so if you receive feedback on these projects in the near future, they can be launched and will produce results by the new academic year," Sergey Chernov said about the formats of interuniversity cooperation.
After the round table meeting, a tour of the university was organized for the delegation of the diplomatic missions of Africa, during which the guests visited several laboratories and were able to assess the scientific potential of the university.
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NSTU-NETI actively cooperates with African universities. Since 2022, the university has been a member of the Russian-African Network University (RAFU) consortium. In May 2024, an agreement was signed between NSTU-NETI and the Center for Public Diplomacy, under which extensive joint work is underway with educational institutions in a number of African countries: schools, universities, and educational centers for children and adults. NSTU-NETI was one of the co-founders and joined the Consortium of Russian Universities for Work with African Countries, headed by the Center for Public Diplomacy.
In the fall of 2024, the university opened two preparatory faculties based on the Russian Houses of the Center for Public Diplomacy in Burkina Faso and Niger. During the year, more than 150 future students, under the guidance of highly qualified university teachers, prepared for admission to Russian universities and for integration into the educational environment, studied in-depth specialized mathematics, physics and the Russian language. The NSTU-NETI, together with the Center for Public Diplomacy, plans to implement a similar format in Mali, Chad, Guinea, Ghana and Namibia.
Also, for the first time, NSTU-NETI launched targeted training of specialists for the real sector of the economy in African countries. We are talking about personnel training under an agreement with the Niger National Oil Company Sonidep. The first group of four students will start studying in targeted programs in the fall.