Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
In 2025, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, as the coordinator of the Russian-African Network University consortium, led a project to reform higher education in the Republic of Mali, as well as develop a concept for the creation of the Polytechnic University of Bandiagara.
This project was initiated under an agreement between the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Republic of Mali and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. Ten leading universities participating in the RAFU project joined the project, each coordinating the development of core educational programs in one of ten priority areas of study for Mali. The Polytechnic University took on the responsibility for civil engineering and ecology.
A significant amount of organizational work has already been completed, expert groups have been formed for each area, and teaching and methodological complexes have been developed for more than 30 educational programs at the future Bandiagara Polytechnic University.
A key event in this process was the visit of an official delegation from the Republic of Mali to SPbPU, which arrived as part of the "Digital Research Leadership" program of the RAFU Summer Multidisciplinary University. The delegation included key experts responsible for the establishment of the University of Bandiagara: Ousmane Mariko, Advisor to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Republic of Mali; Professor Yacouba Dao, Coordinator of Cooperation between Malian Universities and the Russian Federation; Ousmane Guindo, Rector of the newly established Polytechnic University of Bandiagara; and the future heads and coordinators of its faculties: Salif Nabounan Dembélé, Aboubacar Bengali, and Ali Kansay.
They held an official meeting with SPbPU Rector and RAFU Presidium Chairman Andrey Rudskoy. Participants included Dmitry Arsenyev, Vice-Rector for International Affairs; Marina Petrochenko, Director of the Civil Engineering Institute; Issa Togo, Honorary Consul of Mali in St. Petersburg and Associate Professor at the Institute of Civil Engineering; and Alla Mazina, Secretary of the RAFU Presidium. The partners discussed strategic issues related to reforming Mali's national education system. SPbPU Rector introduced his colleagues to Russian approaches to modernizing and transforming engineering education, as well as creating modern university campuses.
The Polytechnic will provide comprehensive support for reforming higher education in the Republic of Mali. We are ready to organize retraining and advanced training for your faculty. We will also be happy to accept Malian students into our educational programs at all levels," Andrei Ivanovich noted.
During the visit, the Malians completed a short-term internship. The topic was "Digital Technologies in Civil Engineering." This program is supervised by the Polytechnic University. The main working meeting was held at the Institute of Civil Engineering at SPbPU. Also participating were Maxim Terekh, Deputy Director for Academic and Methodological Work; Ksenia Strelets, Director of the Center for Continuing Professional Programs; Yuri Lazarev and Galina Kozinets, Directors of Higher Schools; and Mikhail Romanov, Personnel Manager for International Affairs.
Colleagues from Mali were introduced to the key competencies and infrastructure of the Institute of Civil Engineering. The delegation was given a tour of its cutting-edge laboratories. The guests visited innovation sites, including the Polytech MetaCampus center, the additive manufacturing and 3D printing lab, the Vysota research and education center, as well as modern laboratories for environmental monitoring, hydraulics, and innovative road construction materials. This allowed them to clearly demonstrate the university's practical potential for modernizing higher education in Mali.
Usman Guindo, Rector of the newly established Polytechnic University of Bandiagara, emphasized the importance of this collaboration: "Our university is being established in an area rich in various building materials. To utilize them effectively and ensure environmental conservation, we need to train highly qualified specialists. Therefore, the creation of a Faculty of Civil and Industrial Engineering is of utmost importance to us."
As part of the same Summer Multidisciplinary University, Malian representatives also visited other RAFU member universities overseeing agricultural technology, veterinary science, and animal husbandry—the St. Petersburg State Agrarian University and the St. Petersburg State University of Veterinary Medicine. Their Russian colleagues demonstrated their educational and scientific capabilities, which could form the basis for transforming these areas in Mali.
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