Putin: 35,000 African students in Russia; 6,000 on scholarship

President Vladimir Putin has said that there were over 35,000 African students in Russia, with more than 6,000 of them on Russian government’s scholarships.

President Putin said this while pledging deeper relations with African countries across several spheres, and also promising free supply of grains to the continent to tackle food insecurity.

Putin made this known on Monday in a statement, “Russia and Africa: Joining Efforts for Peace, Progress and a Successful Future” ahead of the second Russia-Africa Summit and Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum. The summits, scheduled to hold on July 27 and July 28 in St Petersburg, Russia, seeks to strengthen the relations between Russia and Africa, outlining priority cooperation areas for the coming decades of the 21st century.

Putin stated that Russia have always strictly adhered to the “African solutions to African problems” principle, standing in solidarity with Africans in their struggle for self-determination, justice and their legitimate rights.

He also said that in keeping with the existing tradition, Russia intends to continue providing assistance to African states in building their national human resource capacity.

It was at this point he revealed that there were currently about 35,000 students from Africa in Russia, and more than 6,000 of them receive Russian government scholarships.

The Russia’s President noted that each year the country increases the number of scholarships, promote paid higher education options and facilitate inter-university ties, which have gained significant momentum in recent times. Vanguard