SAINT PETERSBURG — Russia and African nations are planning to establish a joint center to train top-level African mining and raw-materials specialists, according to Vladimir Litvinenko, rector of Saint Petersburg Mining University. The initiative, he said, is aimed at enabling African countries to process their own resources locally rather than continuing to export raw materials for processing abroad—a model he linked to ending neocolonial exploitation.
Litvinenko made the remarks to reporters on the sidelines of the second Russian-African Raw Materials Dialogue, which is being held in Saint Petersburg from Monday to Thursday. The forum is taking place under the theme “Development Path: Raw Materials and Personnel as the Basis of Economic Sovereignty.”
The planned center would focus on training African specialists at the highest level, part of a broader effort to build domestic capacity in mining, refining and value-added processing. Litvinenko said such personnel are essential if African states are to assert economic sovereignty over their mineral wealth.
Oyewole Olusola Bandele, secretary-general of the Association of African Universities, praised the forum as a vital platform for uniting political, economic and academic forces. He emphasized that cooperation with Russia is crucial for Africa’s industrial transformation and sustainable development.
The dialogue brings together officials, industry figures and academics from Russia and across Africa. Its theme reflects a growing push by African governments to move beyond the export of unprocessed minerals and to capture more value at home—an agenda that has increasingly dovetailed with Moscow’s efforts to deepen economic and educational ties with the continent.
For Russia, the initiative offers a chance to expand influence in Africa’s extractive sectors at a time of heightened competition among global powers. For African participants, the appeal lies in gaining technical expertise and institutional partnerships that could reduce dependence on traditional Western processors and financiers.
The joint center has not yet been formally established, and no timeline or location was immediately announced. But Litvinenko’s remarks signal that mining education and workforce development are emerging as central pillars of the Russian-African raw materials partnership.
The forum continues through Thursday in Saint Petersburg.
