Русский
The number of African student applicants to study in Russian University agricultural programmes have grown fivefold from 2020-25, according to Russia’s Federal Agency for International Cooperation.
Officially known as the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo) it operates as a federal executive body responsible for rendering state services and managing state property to support and develop international relations between Russia and the member-states of the Commonwealth of Independent States and other foreign countries, as well as in the sphere of international humanitarian cooperation.
At present, over 1,600 African students from 45 African countries are enrolled in academic institutions operating under the Russian Ministry of Agriculture. Agronomy, veterinary medicine, and agricultural engineering are the most sought-after disciplines for the students, who are mainly from Cameroon, Mali, Algeria, and Egypt.
The ministry noted that for the 2025/26 academic year, the Russian government has allocated 207 state-funded scholarships for African students – up from 120 in the previous academic year.
Russia is also ready to broaden its export of agricultural technologies to assist African nations in bolstering food security, the Ministry of Agriculture said. “There is significant potential for cooperation in the areas of genetics and breeding, the supply of veterinary medicines, plant protection products, agricultural machinery, and fertilizers,” it added.
Russia’s agricultural cooperation with African countries continues to grow, the Ministry said, adding that over the past five years, exports of Russian mineral fertilizers to Africa “have more than doubled.”
Aleksandr Babakov, the Deputy speaker of the Russian State Duma, stated that Russian lawmakers have provided the government with proposals on funding to support students from African countries. He said that “Deputies and experts have appealed to the Russian government with proposals to create mechanisms to finance and support educational programmes aimed at training personnel for African countries, including scholarships and grants for students from Africa.”
Speaking at the Russia-Africa summit in July 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a substantial expansion of educational support, stating that the number of federal scholarships for African students had grown by 150% over the preceding three years. According to Putin, more than 4,700 African students were set to receive these scholarships in 2024.
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