Russia to increase scholarships for Nigerian students, seeks cultural exchange

Russia has offered to increase its annual scholarship quota for Nigerian students from the current 220, pending discussions with Nigeria’s ministry of education.

This offer was made on Thursday in Abuja during a meeting between the Russian embassy and Nigeria’s ministry of art, culture, tourism, and the creative economy.

The meeting was aimed at fostering bilateral cooperation.

Discussions during the meeting focused on youth development through creative industries, cultural exchange, and broader economic cooperation.

Hannatu Musa Musawa, the minister of art, culture, tourism, and the creative economy, emphasised the importance of leveraging Nigeria’s large youth population, with 70 per cent under 30, through the creative and cultural sectors.

“We emphasise the use of culture and creativity to engage young people on global issues like youth employment and economic hardship, climate change, education and mental health challenges,” the minister said.

A.L. Podelyshev, the Russian ambassador to Nigeria, invited Nigeria to participate in the Kazan Cultural Fair in November 2025.

The ambassador proposed the reactivation of a two-year-old MOU on cultural cooperation.

The ambassador also expressed interest in facilitating cultural exchange by inviting Nigerian cultural groups to Russia and Russian artists to Nigeria.

He pledged Russia’s assistance in preserving Nigeria’s culture through technology, noting that the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts is seeking collaboration with Nigeria for joint theatre programmes and training.

He also pledged cooperation in preserving cultural heritage through digital technologies like 3D scanning and virtual reality.

The Nigerian ministry proposed including creative economy and audiovisual co-productions in future bilateral agreements.

Both parties committed to concrete actions, agreeing on the need for clear focal persons and timelines for effective follow-up.

The Russian embassy stated it awaits specific proposals from Nigeria on priority cooperation areas, expressing mutual willingness to advance the MOU and implement cultural, creative, and tourism-related projects.