Educational and scientific ties of the oldest technical university in Russia with universities, government authorities, and industrial circles of the African continent, as a rule, lead to joint projects in business. An example of this is the agreement to create a joint venture for the extraction of mineral resources, IMMA (Infinity Morion Mountainous Area), between the Morion Group of Companies and the Egyptian company Infinity Magic Group Integrated Solutions.
The document was signed during a visit to Cairo by a Russian delegation with the participation of Morion General Director Dmitry Melikhov and Vice-Rector of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University Sergey Novikov. The Egyptian side was headed by the company’s chairman of the board of directors, Haitham Hamed Abdelsalem Mohammed.
The Morion Holding possesses the most advanced technologies for geological exploration, design and survey work, drilling and cementing operations, industrial construction, and equipment manufacturing. Established in 1992 with the support of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University, the company is actively engaged in research; the group includes, for example, the Institute of Applied Robotics and Automation. The academic partnership with Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University also opens up opportunities for fundamental research.
The joint project with Egypt primarily involves the competencies of the Morion Group in engineering for the development of mineral resources. The Deputy General Director of the Morion Group, Larisa Sedletskaya, told Forpost about the project’s prospects:
«Development plans for the Infinity Morion Mountainous Area joint venture over the next two years include obtaining a license for mineral extraction in Egypt, conducting comprehensive geological exploration at selected sites, as well as developing and implementing technological solutions adapted to the specific conditions of the desert climate. The company intends to create a mineral beneficiation technology that is as efficient and environmentally safe as possible and that meets Egypt’s regulatory requirements.
Particular attention will be paid to the development of an innovative gold-extraction technology that complies with local environmental standards and is aimed at minimizing environmental impact. Active cooperation is planned with Egyptian government bodies and industrial partners, including the exchange of technical knowledge and the development of research initiatives. Thus, the project is aimed at forming a sustainable, technologically advanced production capable of making a significant contribution to the region’s economy and strengthening the strategic partnership between the Russian and Egyptian mining industries.
Morion and Infinity also intend to create a joint venture for the production of drilling equipment, which will make it possible to ensure a complete technological cycle from development to the manufacture of high-quality machinery adapted to the specifics of local conditions. As part of this project, it is planned to build an ore-testing site and a laboratory for the prompt analysis of samples, which will significantly accelerate the process of evaluating and preparing mineral resources for further processing. The joint creation of such facilities will not only increase production efficiency but also enhance scientific and technical support for projects, opening up new opportunities for innovation and the sustainable development of the joint venture».
The engineering component of the project rests on the educational one. The mechanisms of cooperation in this sphere have already been established. The personnel component provides for support of the consortium of universities “Nedra of Africa” created in 2023 at the Saint Petersburg Mining University, and of the Association of African Universities, which in October of this year, within the framework of the Russia–Africa Raw Materials Dialogue, signed an agreement with the International Competence Center for Mining Engineering Education under the auspices of UNESCO.
Unlike Western companies, Russian business works with Africa comprehensively, developing local personnel and opening access to the most advanced technologies. This is the traditional style of relations between our country and its African partners, and it meets with full understanding on the part of the authorities—in this case, Egypt. Cooperation in the area of regulation and public administration of mineral resources became the central topic of negotiations between the Russian delegation and the leadership of the Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority (EMRA—an entity within the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Egypt that is engaged in geological mapping, exploration, assessment, and management of the country’s mineral resources). The Chairman of the authority, Yasser Ramadan, noted the importance of utilizing the significant potential of Russian technologies and engineering solutions for the modernization of the national mining industry.
At the headquarters of the Arab Court of Arbitration under the Council of Arab Economic Unity, negotiations were held on mechanisms for the legal support of joint investment projects and on the development of arbitration instruments to protect investors’ interests.
The joint venture with Egypt’s miners is only part of the Morion Group’s international projects catalyzed by the Russia–Africa forums at Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University. On the sidelines of the Raw Materials Dialogue forum, an agreement was signed with the leading Nigerian holding structure ETAZUMA, covering the areas of exploration and extraction of strategically important metals. ETAZUMA is interested in the implementation of Russian engineering solutions and in joint work on innovative projects.
The heads of both companies, Dmitry Melikhov and Innocent Ezuma, actively participated in the Russia–Africa Raw Materials Dialogue, in particular at the round table “Africa–Russia. Joint Projects and Prospects: Geological, Economic, and Social Factors”.
