BY IRIBHOGBE BUKUNOLA MONSURAT
The Russian Federation has offered to increase its annual scholarship quota for Nigerian students from 220 to a potentially higher number, pending collaboration with Nigeria’s Ministry of Education.
The offer, which aims to explore areas of mutual interest in culture, was made on Thursday in Abuja during a meeting between the Russian Embassy and the Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy.
Discussions centred on various areas, including youth development through creative industries, cultural exchange, and economic cooperation.
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa, highlighted the importance of harnessing the country’s large youth population through the creative and cultural industries.
“Nigeria has a large youth population, with 70% under the age of 30. There is a great need to harness their potential through the creative and cultural industries. 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.
The Russian Federation, represented by H. E. Ambassador A.L. Podelyshev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Nigeria, invited Nigeria to participate in the Kazan Cultural Fair in November 2025, and proposed reviving a pending Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cultural cooperation, which was first proposed two years ago.
In addition, Ambassador Podelyshev expressed interest in promoting 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.
“The Russian Institute of Theatre Arts seeks and proposes collaboration with Nigeria for joint theatre programs and training. It also proposes cooperation in preserving Nigeria’s cultural heritage through digital technologies like 3D scanning and virtual reality”, the Ambassador stated.
The Ministry proposed adding creative economy and audiovisual co-productions to future bilateral agreements. At the same time, both parties committed to taking concrete action, agreeing on the need for clear focal persons and timelines to ensure effective follow-up.
The Russian Embassy stated that it awaits concrete proposals from Nigeria on priority areas of cooperation, while expressing its mutual willingness to move forward on the MOU and implement cultural, creative, and tourism-related projects.