12 Russian universities and research centers with extensive experience in scientific and educational cooperation with the countries of the African continent have joined the consortium "Russian-African Network University" (RAFU). The corresponding decision was made at the constituent assembly held the day before.
"The establishment of the Russian-African Network University will contribute to strengthening cooperation in the field of education, science, and economic development between our country and the states of the African continent. In addition, RAFU is a kind of friendship bridge for students of Russia and Africa," commented Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

According to him, the priorities of RAFU will be the creation of a unified educational and scientific space, the development of mechanisms for the development of academic and student mobility, and the promotion of intercultural dialogue and mutual enrichment of cultures and languages.

The RAFU educational model will work as a single pool of courses and disciplines available to the consortium members in Russian, English, and French. The same courses will form the basis of joint educational programs.

The minister is convinced that such an approach to the educational process will allow building an individual trajectory of filling and choosing programs in natural science, technical, humanitarian, administrative-managerial, and socio-economic areas. This will give students the opportunity to receive bachelor's, specialist's, and master's degrees from several member universities of the Consortium.

To implement these tasks, it is planned to develop its own educational electronic platform of RAFU, which will provide organizational, methodological, and informational support for educational programs. In addition, RAFU will coordinate the organization and conduct of joint scientific and practical events, project and grant activities, expeditions, and scientific and technical work.

The participants of the RAFU at the initial stage included: Southern Federal University, Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University, Astrakhan State Medical University, Russian State Hydrometeorological University, National Research University "MEI", Moscow State University of Food Production, Sergo Ordzhonikidze Russian State Geological Exploration University, Russian State University for the Humanities, Russian State University of the Humanities. A.N. Kosygina (Technologies. Design. Art), the Pushkin State Institute of the Russian Language, the A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the South Seas of the Russian Academy of Sciences.