One of the most significant events this autumn will be the Russia–Africa Raw Materials Dialogue, which will take place in Saint Petersburg from October 29 to November 1, 2025. The event will bring together leaders of sectoral ministries, representatives of the scientific and educational community, and business figures from both the Russian Federation and African nations. As of today, delegations from 27 African countries have confirmed their participation.
The main initiator and operator of the forum is the Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University. Its partners include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the UNESCO Competence Centre, and the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The university has extensive experience in organizing events on such scale. The Russia–Germany and Russia–UK Raw Materials Dialogues, held from 2006 to 2021, became unprecedented examples of international cooperation between the respective countries.
The “Dialogues” were held annually, alternating between Germany and Russia, and between the United Kingdom and Russia. A steadily growing number of participants and joint projects in the fields of economy, science, and education made them major discussion platforms for sharing expertise and developing joint responses to contemporary challenges. During the pandemic, despite the difficult epidemiological situation, the conferences were not canceled but transferred to an online format, later recording a record number of virtual participants. After February 2022, at the request of the German and British sides, their activities were suspended.
Today, the Mining University is preparing two major raw materials forums — the Russia–Malaysia and Russia–Africa Dialogues. While the former will take place in October in Kuala Lumpur, the challenges of the mineral and raw materials sector of the African continent will be discussed in Saint Petersburg.
In 2023, during the plenary session of the Russia–Africa Summit, President Vladimir Putin announced that, in order to support global food security, Russia would provide free shipments of 25,000 to 50,000 tons of grain to the most in-need countries of the continent — Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic, and Eritrea.
Humanitarian aid is always urgent and vital to alleviate immediate crises. These deliveries enabled the governments of recipient countries to establish an intervention fund, but, of course, they cannot solve all underlying issues — especially in the sector that forms the foundation of every state’s economy: the extraction of natural resources. Due to a lack of access to modern technologies, a shortage of qualified personnel, and imperfect legal frameworks, the main profits from these resources today are still received by Western countries and China.
The upcoming forum is aimed at identifying promising pathways for the development of Africa’s economy that will contribute to the sovereignty of its nations and promote mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia. In the medium term, the “Dialogue” is expected to become a regular event, held once every two years.
Among this year’s participants will be 20 representatives from African countries who are currently enrolled in the Mining University’s advanced training program “Management of Subsoil Use Facilities.”
A distinctive feature of the program is that those who came to Saint Petersburg for one academic year are not students or postgraduates, but leading employees of resource companies and government authorities. The training began on September 1.
«Only a month has passed, yet I already feel as if I have been living and studying in Saint Petersburg for a long time. During this period, we have gained a wealth of new knowledge in geology, mining, finance, and regulatory frameworks of the industry. The most important subjects for me personally were Business Administration and Management, as they were my first real introduction to these topics. In Africa, specialists in business and finance are one group of people, while those working in the mining sector are entirely different — and we rarely intersect in our professional activities. Therefore, for geologists, miners, and environmental specialists, understanding how these processes function is extremely important. When we return to our home countries, each of us will certainly try to apply the knowledge we have gained here in our work», - said Bangura Kadiatu, Head of Geological Supervision in the Department of the Mining Industry of the National Minerals Agency of Sierra Leone.
Associate Professor Ekaterina Golovina of the Department of Industrial Economics teaches the group the course Economics of Subsoil Use. The course covers topics such as the system of state regulation of geological exploration and mineral extraction, licensing and taxation, issues of replenishing the raw material base, valuation of deposits, fixed and working capital of mineral resource enterprises, calculation of production costs, accounting, and preparation of financial statements.
«The students are very interested in Russia’s experience and, during practical sessions, actively share their own. For example, we discovered that even within a single country — Nigeria — different legislative norms apply to licensing for geological exploration and extraction in the north and south. I truly enjoy working with such a responsive audience. Every participant is engaged from beginning to end, highly motivated, and open to dialogue. My course is equally divided between lectures and practical sessions, so we devote much time to case studies, business simulations, and seminars. When I announce an ‘open talk’ — an open discussion of questions — absolutely every participant wants to express their opinion on the topic at hand. You can feel the depth of their experience and professional background. Sometimes their questions are complex and unconventional, but that’s wonderful — it’s valuable both for their colleagues and for me as a scholar. It’s precisely in discussion that new ideas and insights emerge, which can prove useful in practice for both sides», - noted Ekaterina Golovina.
«For me, as an African, coming to Russia was not easy — adapting to the climate, weather, and a different time zone took some effort. My Russian colleagues, however, have been exceptionally friendly, welcoming, and have done everything possible to make the transition to a new continent as comfortable as it can be. Of course, the most important thing is the competence of the host institution. I am deeply impressed, because unlike in Africa, all the professors teaching us here are practice-oriented. Every week, we visit the educational and research facilities of the Mining University and its partner enterprises, where we are shown advanced equipment and taught how to operate it. This is extremely important for our entire group. I am confident that when we return home, this knowledge and these skills will allow us to reach top management positions in our respective fields — compared to our colleagues, we will be able to make responsible decisions, as we will be the only ones who know how drilling operations and geological and geophysical studies are carried out today in real production settings, in accordance with global standards», - shared Okodjokwu Michael Attah, geologist at the Mining and Technical Inspectorate of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development of Nigeria.
The program includes intensive “fieldwork” — one day each week is dedicated to off-site practical activities. During the autumn semester, the African group will complete drilling and geological training at the “Sablino” educational and research site and geophysical training at the Kavgolovo facility. Separate practical sessions will be held on core description. Using fresh core samples, students will learn to extract information about the structure of geological sections, including genetic features and secondary transformations that make it possible to reconstruct the conditions of rock formation.
«The course on team building — covering the fundamentals of corporate ethics and business communication — sparked great interest and lively discussion. It explores leadership styles and management methods within companies, human resource management, and relationships between subordinates and executives. Our African colleagues admitted that such topics were not part of their university education. While our students, during their higher engineering studies, acquire knowledge across a broad spectrum — from public speaking to digital modeling — in Africa, specialists are trained in a much narrower focus. Young people study only what directly relates to their future work. If you are a future mineralogist, you won’t find geochemistry or petrography among your subjects. No step to the left, no step to the right…» - said Irina Talovina, coordinator of the program from the Mining University, Head of the Department of Historical and Dynamic Geology, Doctor of Sciences.
The professors of the Mining University noted a shared mindset among all the “students”: beyond their personal motivation for learning and professional growth, they are driven by another powerful force. The participants of the course are inspired by the idea of doing something beneficial for their countries. They see themselves as ambassadors — representatives of their governments — contributing to the beginning of a new and exceptionally important stage in the development of the African continent.
«The program of the Mining University is a truly unique project in international cooperation. Usually, participants learn about internships by chance, come, complete their studies, and then disappear somewhere within their home countries. Most often, such initiatives are private, informal, and yield very limited results. The participants of our program are not random individuals. They came at the invitation of ministries, universities, and state enterprises. Upon returning home, they will not simply blend into local companies with their new knowledge — they will work within government structures, maintain ties with Russia, and apply the experience gained here to the development of education and the mineral resource sector», - summarized Irina Talovina.