A delegation from Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University participated in the 32nd International Congress of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK), which was held under the theme "Engineering the Future".
The starting point of the trip was a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) and the National Association of Mining Engineers of Russia, signed in November 2025 on the sidelines of the Russia–Africa Raw Materials Dialogue. The agreement is designed to foster joint initiatives in engineering education, the professional development of specialists, and the implementation of international professional standards.
The foundation for relations between Kenya and our country was laid in 1963, when the former British colony gained independence and became sovereign. Just a year later, an agreement on economic and scientific-technical cooperation was signed. In 1964–1965 alone, 36 delegations from the USSR visited the African country, and 25 delegations from Kenya visited the USSR. Over those two years, about 600 Kenyans came to study in the Soviet Union.
Building on the agreements reached in November 2025, the delegation of the Mining University took part in the 32IEK Convention Congress. It is one of Africa’s largest discussion platforms, where key trends in the development of the continent’s technology, education, and industry are discussed. The forum brought together more than 3,700 participants from China, Singapore, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Mozambique, Tanzania, South Africa, Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, and Somalia.
«Africa needs to transition from an agrarian economy to an industrial one. This critically important period cannot be passed without achieving sufficient raw-materials, industrial, and technological sovereignty, as well as having a qualified workforce. Engineers play a key role in this. For the continent’s development, we need active participation of engineers in national projects, modernization of the education system, greater efficiency in sector financing, and the appointment of engineers as heads of state infrastructure companies. We are pleased to welcome the delegation from Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University to exchange experience at our Congress», - emphasized Shammah Kiteme, President of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK), at the opening of the event.
The main topics of the panel discussions with the participation of the St. Petersburg delegation were innovations and technologies for sustainable development, industrialization and infrastructure, engineering education and personnel training, and industry management.
«The foundation of Africa’s sustainable technological and economic development is the formation of a Corps of Mining Engineers. Without the effective development of the mineral resources complex, the effective development of the region is impossible. Kenya is a brilliant example of this. Today, its economy is the largest in East Africa; it is a regional transport and financial hub. According to the World Bank, in 2025, the country’s GDP growth is expected to reach 4.9%. However, this status rests on successes in agricultural production. For a country rich in oil, gold, and precious minerals, this is an inadmissible oversight. In Kenya's strategic documents, the goal has been set to increase the share of the mining industry to 3-4% of GDP in the medium term. We are convinced that only through the integration of joint scientific-and-industrial projects and educational standards can the development of Africa be ensured», - noted the head of the delegation, Vice-Rector Dmitry Tananykhin.
«In the course of discussing scientific–practical cooperation, our African colleagues showed particular interest in research on the prospecting, exploration, and processing of mineral resources—especially oil. First and foremost, this concerns the conduct of modern geological surveying using remote sensing methods, including monitoring of fracture zones within the Kenyan segment of the Great African Rift System. In addition, projects were discussed for geological and technological sampling of deposits and specific ore zones—gold in Zimbabwe and coal in Mozambique», - noted Professor Irina Talovina, Head of the Department of Historical and Dynamic Geology.
During the Congress, considerable attention was paid to the training of engineering personnel, and the Russian delegation presented concrete tools—from professional programs to practice-oriented courses. Kenya is currently carrying out a large-scale reform of its education system, from kindergarten to higher education, and the multi-level experience of the Mining University is of great importance to them.
Deputy Vice-Rector for General Coordination Ruslana Babkin spoke about the admission and training of African students at the Mining University:
«This is an excellent opportunity for Kenyan youth to receive a quality education and return home, where they will be able to develop their country by applying the knowledge they have gained. According to assessments by experts from Kenya, to ensure the functioning of the industry, there is currently a shortage of about 200,000 engineers, and the capacity of local universities is insufficient. In this regard, the partnership between our countries in this area is highly relevant».
There are currently 70 African students studying at the Mining University, including 12 from Tanzania, 8 from Guinea, 7 from Cameroon, 6 from the Congo, and others. It is worth separately noting the educational program “Management of Subsoil Use Facilities,” which started at the university on September 1, 2025. The one-year course was developed specifically for representatives of African countries. Moreover, it is intended not for students or graduate students, but for leading employees of raw-materials companies and government authorities. Nineteen people are enrolled in the program; admissions for the next year have already been announced. Representatives of the engineering community of Kenya, Ghana, Somalia, South Africa, and Mozambique have declared their intention to apply for participation.
«International short-term educational programs of the Mining University aroused no less interest, as they can give students, graduate students, and young engineers from Africa the opportunity not only to deepen their theoretical knowledge but also to gain practical experience—participation in projects, work with modern equipment, and interaction with leading companies in the industry», -noted Valeria Starshaya, Lead Specialist of the UNESCO Center.
Representatives of a number of universities in Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and Ghana expressed a desire to undergo training in the areas of “Petroleum Geology” and “Digital Mining Production.” Employees and engineers of oil and gas and energy companies from Mozambique and Kenya, including the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO), expect to take part in summer school programs in “Modern Trends in the Oil and Gas Industry” and “Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Energy.” In total, following the Congress, at least three international summer schools are planned to be implemented in 2026.
Summer Schools of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University
One of the most discussed topics during the forum’s work was the project to create an International Standard for the Training of Mining Engineers. After the presentation, rectors of African universities, faculty members, and officials approached the delegation in the corridors to inquire about the system, which is designed to ensure uniform requirements for the qualifications of specialists and to increase the sustainability of the extractive industry.
«Active work is underway on the development and promotion of such a unified, well-vetted standard. The results of the UNESCO project to develop a similar system will be taken as the basis. Kenya is actively participating in this process, acting as a connecting link and involving representatives of professional communities, universities, and businesses in the project. Such interaction creates a foundation for its dissemination to the countries of East Africa, where there is a growing demand for modern engineering competencies and uniform professional criteria», — said Vyacheslav Zyrin, Executive Director of the National Association of Mining Engineers of Russia.
The project is fully supported by the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) and is viewed as an instrument capable of attracting investment to the extractive industry, strengthening trust in it, and increasing employment in the engineering sector. Representatives of the South African Federation of Engineering Organizations and the Nigerian Society of Engineers expressed their readiness to join the work on the documentation.
There is an agreement that memoranda of cooperation with them will be signed at the Russia–Africa Raw Materials Dialogue in June 2026 in St. Petersburg. Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University awaits professionals in the field of subsoil use from 50 African countries.
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