- Russia to launch pilot engineering education program in Burkina Faso by late 2025, aiming to strengthen local technical capacity for long-term energy sovereignty in the Sahel region.
- The initiative will train professionals in nuclear, oil & gas, and mining sectors, with plans to expand across other African nations.
- Announced during the Russia-Africa Raw Materials Dialogue, officials emphasized energy justice, skills development, and strategic cooperation under the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan (2023-2026).
According to the Deputy Energy Minister Roman Marshavin, Russia has set a target for a pilot engineering education program to be launched in Burkina Faso by late 2025. He was speaking at a recently held Russia-Africa Raw Materials Dialogue in response to the need to ensure increased local technical expertise for long-term energy sovereignty in the Sahel region.
"Energy justice implies not only the presence of infrastructure but also the training of highly qualified personnel capable of independently using and improving modern technologies", Marshavin said.
The project initially targets Burkina Faso, with plans for eventual extension to other Sahel countries. It is designed to cultivate skilled professionals in nuclear, oil and gas, and mining sectors.
Marshavin added that Russian companies have the technological resources to meet Africa’s rising industrial and energy demands, and that there is “strong interest” on the part of African partners.
Speaking at the same forum, Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, highlighted the importance of cooperation in the mineral sphere between Russia and Africa. “Russia and African countries have significant resource potential”, he said. “The commitment to expanding mutually beneficial cooperation in this area is enshrined in the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan for 2023-2026”.
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Lavrov also praised efforts in promoting training and energy sovereignty, noting, “The recommendations developed here will make a valuable contribution to the agenda of the second ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, scheduled for November this year in Cairo”.
Organized by St. Petersburg Mining University under UNESCO oversight, the dialogue brought together delegations from over 30 African nations, including a number of ministers, in addition to Russian officials, scientists, and industry representatives.
As noted earlier this month by the senior Russian foreign ministry official, Moscow wants to assist Africa in becoming 'a distinctive and influential center of global development' through energy sovereignty. She underscored the importance of training engineers and technical specialists for the continent’s oil, gas, and nuclear sectors, saying, 'personnel are everything'.
