Russia to Open Eight New ‘Russian Houses’ Across Africa

Russia is set to open eight new cultural and educational centres across Africa as it moves to deepen its relations with countries on the continent beyond military and security cooperation.

The BBC reported that Russia’s humanitarian agency, Rossotrudnichestvo, announced plans for the new “Russian Houses”, which will promote the Russian language, education, science and culture while supporting local projects.

The new centres will be established in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

The agency said the expansion is part of efforts to build longer-term relationships through scholarships, university programmes, language courses, cultural activities and exchanges. Russia already has 16 Russian Houses operating in Africa, while eight of 11 additional centres planned globally will be located on the continent.

Igor Chaika, head of Rossotrudnichestvo, said the agency was changing its approach by increasing its activities and strengthening oversight of the programmes. He said Russia was seeking “tangible results” from its efforts to promote its language, education, science and culture abroad.

Chaika also said the programmes would be tailored to the needs of individual countries. He explained that countries requiring medical professionals should have programmes focused on training doctors, while other countries could receive training in fields where skilled workers are needed.

He further stressed the importance of foreign students returning to their home countries after studying in Russia. According to him, graduates could apply the skills acquired in Russia to support economic development in their respective countries.

Rossotrudnichestvo also announced that it would launch a micro-grant programme in 2027 to fund educational, cultural, scientific, technological and youth projects outside Russia. The agency said it was also seeking stronger local partner organisations to manage Russian Houses and help establish a wider international network.

The expansion comes as Russia has strengthened its security relationships with military-led governments in parts of West Africa. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have increased cooperation with Russia after distancing themselves from France and other Western security partners, while Russia’s Africa Corps has taken over operations previously associated with the Wagner Group.

Western and United Nations forces have withdrawn from some of the countries, including the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, which ended in December 2023. Russia has subsequently sought to expand its political, economic, security and cultural relationships across the continent.

The country has also faced scrutiny over the recruitment of Africans for its war in Ukraine. Kenya, one of the countries that has reported a high number of recruits, accused job agencies of attracting men with employment offers before they were allegedly sent to fight.

Russia has maintained that foreign recruits joined voluntarily and in accordance with its laws. However, it agreed in March not to deploy Kenyan recruits to the front.

To support its growing engagement with African countries, Rossotrudnichestvo said it had signed an agreement with the Association for Economic Cooperation with African Countries, a Russia-Africa trade and business networking organisation established in 2020.

The latest expansion will therefore add cultural and educational programmes to Russia’s broader engagement with African countries, with the new centres expected to serve as platforms for language learning, education, cultural exchange and project development.