Russia's President Vladimir Putin has expressed readiness to expand technology transfer, education and skills development as part of the continent's economic transformation.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is also attending the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum in Moscow, said Russia's position aligns with the commitment to skills development and human capital investment.
President Nandi-Ndaitwah has consistently called for a workforce that is equipped to meet the demands of emerging industries and enable Namibia to move beyond exporting raw materials towards value addition.
Speaking at the third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin said Russia was willing to share its digital expertise and high-technology solutions with African partners.
"I can also tell you that we have built a very good public administration system on the basis of cutting-edge technologies. It improves the quality of governance. It improves the public revenue. And in the end, it creates a higher standard of living, because citizens have better access to public services."
Putin said approximately 40,000 African students were studying in Russia and that the scholarship allocation for the 2027-2028 academic year had increased to 5,500.
He added that more than 70 universities from 17 African countries were connected through the Russia-Africa Network University, which seeks to strengthen academic cooperation and knowledge exchange.
"This avenue for our cooperation has been expanding rapidly on a new technological basis, at a new level of quality starting from this year. The number of African students who study in Russia has increased by 1.5%. The number of scholarships has almost tripled."
Russia is also promoting partnerships in transport, mining and public administration training, with programmes aimed at transferring professional competencies to African countries.
African countries are seeking to build stronger domestic capabilities, develop specialised skills and expand their participation in emerging industries.