Russia and Ivory Coast Boost Cooperation in Education

According to Rusian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the humanitarian sphere and, in particular, education is one of the most important fields of cooperation between Russia and the continent. During his recent African tour he declared that Russia has agreed to increase quotas for students from a number of African nations.

A delegation of the Yaroslavl State Pedagogical University (YSPU) has visited the Ivory Coast as a part of Ministry of Education's project to promote the Russian language abroad, the ministry said in a press release.

During the visit, YSPU, which is named after K.D. Ushinsky, and two Ivorian Universities — the ETIC University and International University of Cocody — signed memorandums of cooperation.

The signing was carried out in the city of Abidjan with the participation of the Russian ambassador, Alexey Saltykov.

The ETIC University is one of the young private universities in the Ivory Coast which has been operating since 2012. The university has four nuclei – in Cocody, Markory, Yopougon and Korogo, and more than 4,000 students studying 40 specialties.

According to the press release, the partnership between the ETIC University and the YSPU will include joint educational, scientific, and cultural projects.

Alexander Khodyrev, vice-rector of the YSPU, noted that the Russian university is ready to share advanced educational methodologies, while African students will have the opportunity to continue their studies not only in Yaroslavl but also in universities in other regions of Russia.

Recently, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov embarked on an African tour, discussing possibilities for deepening cooperation with countries of the continent.

During a press conference in Angola, the minister outlined that the humanitarian sphere is a priority, stating that Moscow has agreed to double quotas for Angolans to study in Russia next year.

"We positively assessed cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, especially in education. There is a high interest in the Russian language in Angola. In this regard, we have increased the quota from 150 scholarships this academic year to 300 next," he stressed during a press conference in Luanda, Angol's capital.

During Lavrov's visit to Eswatini, the kingdom's foreign minister declared that the two countries are likewise developing ties in the educational field, agreeing to increase the annual number of scholarships for Eswatinian students from 10 to 25.