The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Gabonese Republic, Sosthène Ndembe, paid a working visit to Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University. The country is implementing a program aimed at developing domestic mineral processing capacities and therefore needs to strengthen its human resource potential.
This Francophone Central African state, relatively small in population, possesses substantial reserves of oil, manganese ore (30% of global reserves), and iron ore, as well as deposits of gold, diamonds, lead, niobium, and phosphates. Its principal resource is oil. Gabon is a member of OPEC and ranks among the five largest producers of “black gold” in sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, the development of oil production is being constrained by the depletion of its main fields. Iron ore and gold extraction also have considerable growth potential, although the technological level in these sectors still remains far from advanced standards. Gold, for example, is mined exclusively by artisanal methods.
Gabon sees Russia as a reliable partner prepared to build bilateral relations on a mutually beneficial basis, without manifestations of neocolonialism. As is known, Gabon was one of the four countries that did not support the draft UN resolution on the non-recognition of the referendums on the accession of new territories to Russia.
Rector Vladimir Litvinenko told the guest about the new model for training mining engineers that the university is implementing within the framework of the presidential pilot project. In 2023, the Mining University moved away from the Bologna system of higher education with bachelor’s and master’s degrees and now provides students with fundamental engineering education over a six-year period. According to international standards, its graduates correspond to the level of a Master of Technology. In addition, Gabon may be interested in the MBA program Management of Subsoil Use Facilities.
«If your country aims to derive the maximum benefit from the development of its own subsoil resources, then the personnel issue should be considered the most important. We can endlessly sell you ‘fish,’ but it is better to give you a ‘fishing rod.’ The analogy is clear: in order for the government to understand how to make the subsoil work for the country, it is necessary to train a sufficient number of qualified specialists who possess modern technologies and understand the specifics of business in the field of subsoil use.
The resource potential allows the people of Gabon to become wealthier than the average European, but the country’s mineral resources must be developed in a purposeful and consistent manner. You are training personnel according to the two-tier Bologna system, which is not suitable for the mineral resource sector. Your students can come to us to study for six years to become engineers; there are absolutely no obstacles to that. We can also train your managers through a one-year full-time program. These are precisely the kinds of specialists who will help the government of Gabon maintain the right course toward sovereign subsoil use. The Mining University is ready for active cooperation, but appropriate decisions from your mining companies or the government will be required in this direction», – said Vladimir Litvinenko.
The ambassador responded that his acquaintance with the university during the visit had finally convinced him of the need to direct Gabonese applicants to enroll specifically here. According to him, the President of Gabon has identified a sharp increase in the number of students across all areas of the mineral resource complex as a key factor for success in developing the country’s natural resource processing industry.
«We want to have our own specialists in geological exploration, extraction, and processing of mineral resources, as well as in the management of deposits, and we are ready to facilitate their training with your support. I studied at the Sorbonne in France, but I am nevertheless convinced that our progress will be most effective in partnership with Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University and other strong Russian universities», – said Sosthène Ndembe.
Today, only one student from Gabon is studying at Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University. The Rector informed the guest that if the number of students from the country becomes sufficiently large, Gabon will be able to have its own representative on the university staff, who will oversee all aspects of their education.