The course “Science and Technology Policies of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Persian Gulf States”, elaborated by PIR Center in consortium with MGIMO University, has been launched

MOSCOW. NOVEMBER 22, 2023. PIR PRESS. “The two regions we are considering — the Persian Gulf and sub-Saharan Africa — are equally attractive for the prospects of Russian foreign policy and, to a great extent, for Russian business. However, combining these two regions into one package is impossible. The states of the Persian Gulf, first of all, Qatar and the UAE, are first-world states, certainly developed and already high-tech, and therefore, there is a reasonably high bar for entry there. The picture here is vibrant and dynamic. When we turn to sub-Saharan Africa, the picture is different yet not stereotypical. We see that some African States — Mauritius, South Africa, Kenya, to some extent Nigeria, and several others — have already done substantial work, and some — Mauritius and Kenya — are coming out with their high-tech solutions that are pretty competitive not only in their region but also in some cases at the global level. In this sense, it is interesting for us to compare these two dissimilar regions,” — Dr. Vladimir Orlov, Founding Director of PIR Center and a Professor at MGIMO University. 

On November 20, 2023, the official launching of the course titled Science and Technology Policies of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Persian Gulf States, elaborated by PIR Center jointly with MGIMO University, took place. The course is implemented in frames of the PIR Center-MGIMO project Global Security, Strategic Stability, and Arms Control under the Priority-2030 Strategic Academic Leadership Program. 

During the welcome lecture, Dr. Vladimir Orlov, Founding Director of PIR Center and a Professor at MGIMO University, addressed the course participants with an introductory speech. He assessed the level of high-tech development of the countries of the Persian Gulf and sub-Saharan Africa and the prospects for cooperation of these states with Russia in the field of high technologies, alongside the competition in scientific and techno-policies in the regions under consideration. Moreover, Dr. Orlov presented the key PIR Center research and educational programs. 

Dr. Maxim Suchkov, Associate Professor at the Department of Applied International Analysis and Director of the Institute for International Studies, MGIMO University, presented the lecture on Geopolitics of Numbers: How Techs Affect International Relations? He discussed new energy sources, as well as the impact emerging technologies have on the basic concepts of justice, freedom, and power. Dr. Suchkov also answered questions from the audience on the interplay of artificial intelligence and values, space security, and Russia’s view on these issues. 

Dr. Anastasiya Sheveleva, Professor of the Department of Management and Marketing, spoke later on Foreign Economic activity of Russian High-Tech Enterprises. She explained which enterprises are included in the list of high-tech industries, how international investment cooperation is carried out within the industry, what mechanisms are provided for stimulating and regulating the foreign economic activity of high-tech enterprises, and other related topics. During the discussion, course participants were interested in how high-tech exports are implemented, what criteria are used to assess tariff benefits for developing and least developed countries, and how Russian businesses cooperate with African states. 

The course in the format of additional professional education for advanced training on Science and Technology Policies of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Persian Gulf States will occur from November 20 to 27, 2023. During the lectures and seminars, the course participants will learn more about the scientific and technological policies of sub-Saharan Africa and the Persian Gulf states in high technologies, such as cybersecurity, nuclear energy, rocket science and space, emerging techs, and biotechnologies, etc., as well as consider the current state of cooperation of regional countries with Russia in the high-tech sphere and prospects for its expansion. 

“We conceived the program to allow us to look at the issues at hand from different angles. The first classes were generally aimed mainly at forming a theoretical framework and showing the audience how specific the foreign economic activity of high-tech enterprises is. It often happens that political scientists and international relations experts, being more interested in political theories, lose sight of the complexity of promoting specific products to foreign markets, especially high-tech ones: bureaucratic restrictions, national security issues, support mechanisms, tariff and non-tariff regulation measures, etc. On the other hand, specialists in foreign trade enterprises often do not focus on the political aspects of high technologies, their impact on the development of states and societies, the entire system of international relations, and the rules of the game in the international arena. In the conjugation of different views, we see the uniqueness of our course. In the following days, our listeners will directly discuss the Persian Gulf and sub-Saharan Africa, their scientific and technological potential, and prospects for cooperation with Russia in specific high-tech areas, be it peaceful nuclear energy, biotechnology, rocket science, etc. We are sure that many exciting discoveries are waiting for us. Many thanks to all those who showed interest in our educational product and our lecturers for their responsible attitude to our common cause,” — Ms. Elena Karnaukhova, PIR Center Deputy Director-Education & Training Program Director said. 

The program is implemented within the consortium of MGIMO University and PIR Center, established to carry out the joint project Global Security, Strategic Stability, and Arms Control (a strategic project Global Studies for a Global Russia under the auspices of the Priority-2030 Strategic Academic Leadership Program). 

If you have any questions about the course Science and Technology Policies of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Persian Gulf States, please contact Ms. Elena Karnaukhova, PIR Center Deputy Director-Education & Training Program Director,  via email at edu@pircenter.org. 

Key words: Education; Africa; Middle East; New Technology; Global Security

GRS/AFR; GRS/GULF