MOSCOW, November 19. /TASS/. Russia is actively expanding its presence in Africa, and the countries of the continent could become a testing ground for advanced Russian technologies, Director of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Irina Abramova said at a press conference.

"I believe that, in the current conditions Russia finds itself, given the resources we have at our disposal, we are indeed making very active progress in the African direction," she noted. "I always say that one of the areas of our cooperation should be in the technological sphere, that is, the transfer of Russian technologies, which demonstrates our special relationship with Africa. Moreover, our technologies are adaptable and can be applied there (in African countries - TASS), and Africa can become a sort of place for testing out our Russian technologies."

The expert emphasized that Russian businesses are now very interested in working in Africa. To facilitate this, Abramova says Russia needs to establish an effective mechanism for public-private partnerships to successfully implement projects on the continent. "Our main mistake is the lack of coordination between the government, development institutions such as the Russian Export Center, VEB, and others, and entrepreneurs," she said. "The public-private partnership formula, which should form the basis of our relations, is still not working very effectively."

Expanding cooperation in all areas

Nevertheless, in Abramova's opinion, Russia has succeeded in building an institutional structure for relations with African countries. "Just recently, our embassy was opened in Burkina Faso, and by 2026, seven more new embassies are planned to be opened in African countries," the expert noted.

She also added that, in addition to actively developing relations in the political sphere, work is underway in the economic and social sectors. "Trade missions are opening, one has already been opened in Ethiopia and Nigeria, and both are working very actively. These countries are key for us, as they are centers of development in Africa," the expert observed. "New Russian Centers are opening, not only within the framework of Rossotrudnichestvo, but there are also many private initiatives being supported. Additionally, 60 Sunday schools have been opened, and each of these Sunday schools has a Russian language center."

"We are steadily expanding our presence in Africa, and of course, this should yield results," Abramova concluded.