Visit by a delegation from the Technical Centre for Petroleum of the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum of the Republic of Sudan

On 6 August 2025, a delegation from the Oil and Technical Training Centre under the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum of the Republic of Sudan paid an official visit to the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The meeting was the first visit to the Institute by an African delegation representing the oil, gas and geological industries, and opened up new prospects for cooperation between Russia and Sudan in the fields of energy, science and education. The Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences also facilitated the establishment of contacts between representatives of the Centre and leading Russian universities. With the support of scientists from the Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the delegation from Sudan held meetings with the staff of the Faculty of Geology and the Institute for Advanced Studies in Oil and Gas at Lomonosov Moscow State University, led by the Institute's director Antonina Vasilyevna Stupakova, as well as with employees of the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, led by Vice-Rector for International Affairs Alexander Fedorovich Maksimenko.

The ministerial delegation included:
• Jamal Hadi – Coordinator of the Russian-Belarusian Protocol, Advisor to the Minister
• Abdelhafiz Ahmed Abdelhafiz Eisa – Managing Director
• Mohamed Abdeldaim Mohamed Musa – Director of the Programme Implementation Department
• Elwatig Ali Hassan Ali — Head of Design and Art Department
• Alaeldin Magzoub Adam Osman — Director of Financial Administration

The opening remarks were delivered by Irina Olegovna Abramova, Director of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, member of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Economics, Professor. She noted the importance of the visit both for the Institute itself and for expanding Russia's ties with African countries in the oil and gas sector, one of the priority areas of Russian foreign economic policy. Irina Abramova told the guests about the history and areas of work of the Institute, emphasising its importance as a key centre for interaction with African states, as well as its active participation in the preparation and holding of Russia-Africa summits. She expressed her readiness to assist the Sudanese side in addressing the issues that the delegation had come to Russia to discuss.

Other representatives of the Institute also made proposals for developing cooperation. Andrei Konstantinovich Barinov, Research Fellow of the Centre for Global and Strategic Studies, co-chair of the Council of Young Scientists, Ph.D. in Economics, noted that the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences organises major scientific events in the country and confirmed its readiness to facilitate cooperation between Sudanese and Russian government agencies and businesses. He emphasised that the Institute plays an active role in supporting the interests of Russian business in Africa and expressed hope that such work could form the basis for a sustainable partnership with Sudanese colleagues. He drew particular attention to the opportunities for cooperation between young specialists from both sides in the scientific field.

Alexander Alekseevich Tkachenko, Head of the Centre for North African Horn Studies, Ph.D. in Economics, proposed possible areas for scientific cooperation. In particular, he invited the Sudanese side to participate in the International Conference of Africanists, which is held every three years and is the largest scientific platform in Russia dedicated to African studies. The next conference will take place in 2027 and will be available in both online and offline formats.

Irina Olegovna also emphasised the Institute's interest in developing direct scientific ties with Sudanese universities. She spoke about joint projects being implemented with African countries as part of programmes run by the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and expressed her hope that Sudanese partners would be included in similar initiatives. There are already examples of successful cooperation with Egypt, Algeria, South Africa, Ethiopia and Tanzania.

The Sudanese delegation thanked the Russian side for the warm welcome and expressed gratitude for the attention paid to energy cooperation issues. They particularly noted the high level of Arabic language proficiency among the Institute's staff, which is especially valuable for deepening cooperation. The delegation representatives spoke about the history and activities of the Oil and Technical Training Centre, which was established in 2000 as a key educational and scientific unit of the Sudanese Ministry of Petroleum. The Centre trains specialists in the fields of oil exploration, production and processing, as well as developing humanitarian areas, including language education. The Sudanese side was particularly interested in the possibility of opening Russian language courses.

One potential area of cooperation could be the use of advanced Russian technologies in the development of the Red Sea shelf, where, according to Sudanese estimates, promising gas fields may be discovered. The delegation expressed its gratitude for the invitation to visit St. Petersburg and attend the Raw Materials Dialogue forum, and also expressed interest in attracting specialists who speak Russian and have knowledge in the field of oil, infrastructure and related industries.

At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed to use the information obtained to develop specific areas of cooperation and expressed mutual interest in signing a memorandum of cooperation.