African VCs, Russia sign pact to boost industrial economy

The Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) and other African Vice Chancellors have signed an agreement with Russia to address challenges in the African education system, emphasising a shift from an agrarian to an industrial economic model.

The agreement, titled: “Subsoil of Africa”, was signed recently during a ceremony at St Petersburg Mining University in Russia.

The Secretary General of the CVCNU, Professor Yakubu Aboki Ochefu, in a statement, disclosed that the collaboration involved over 130 organisations from 42 African countries, focusing on higher education, scientific institutions, geological communities and mining companies.

He said the agreement also fostered academic exchanges and knowledge transfer, addressing the specific needs of African countries in fields like mineral prospecting.

The VC of Admiralty University, Ibusa, Delta State, and President of the Subsoil of Africa Consortium of Higher Education Institutions, Professor Paul Omojo Omaji, at the ceremony, said, “The establishment of the consortium is a crucial mechanism for Africa’s development, accusing organisations like the World Bank of hindering progress.”

The Rector of St Petersburg Mining University, Vladimir Litvinenko, highlighted the importance of technical universities focusing on priority goals and the need for a different higher education model in Africa.

He said, “The consortium plans to establish Russian university branches in mainland African countries, offering education in the Russian language. Key areas of cooperation include forming joint scientific teams, creating engineering centres and undertaking specific industrial projects related to mineral resource exploration and processing.”

The Chairman of the Council of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions in St Petersburg, Alexei Demidov, emphasised the readiness of local universities to support partners in Africa.