Africa remains one of the priority regions when allocating quotas for international students in Russia. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated this on the sidelines of the International Youth Festival in Yekaterinburg on 15 September.
“The [Russian] federal budget for 2026 allocates more than 10 billion roubles for quotas for international students, and the African region is among the priorities,” she emphasised.
According to Zakharova, the geographical distribution of African students studying in Russia has changed. As well as Moscow and St Petersburg, they are studying in Kazan, Tomsk, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk, and are also showing interest in studying in the Krasnodar Region.
Zakharova also noted the expansion of Russia’s diplomatic presence on the continent. She said that Russia currently has 48 embassies in Africa. The diplomat emphasised that Russia had continued to develop relations with African countries despite obstacles from the West.
“Each such embassy constitutes a working infrastructure, including a point of entry not only for our diplomatic service, our business community and our public figures, but also for Africans who wish to build relationships and who wish to find their future in international relations,” said the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.
Earlier in September, during the session Human Capital in Russia and Africa: Investing in Partnership for the Future at the 11th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok, Olga Petrova, deputy minister of Higher Education and Science, stated that there are 37,000 students from African countries studying at Russian universities. (Afr Initiative/GSF)