Russia deepens educational exchanges, people-to-people ties with Ghana
Russia has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening educational exchanges, cultural cooperation and people-to-people relations with Ghana.
It is part of efforts to deepen nearly seven decades of bilateral friendship between the two countries.
Mr Andrei Ordash, the Russian Ambassador to Ghana, said human capital development remained at the heart of Russia's engagement with Ghana, with plans to expand scholarships, youth exchanges, academic partnerships and professional training opportunities for Ghanaians.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra, Ambassador Ordash described the thousands of Ghanaians who had studied in the former Soviet Union and Russia as a living bridge connecting the peoples of the two nations.
“Ghanaian citizens who have been educated in the USSR and Russia represent a living link between our peoples and a solid foundation upon which we are building our future,” he said.
He noted that educational cooperation had long been the flagship of humanitarian relations between the two countries and continued to attract growing interest among young Ghanaians.
For the 2026/2027 academic year, he said, the Russian Government had allocated 120 scholarship places for Ghanaian students, with Ghana ranking among the leading African countries in terms of applications to study in Russia.
The Ambassador said Russian universities were expanding partnerships with Ghanaian institutions to enhance research, innovation and technical education, while equipping young professionals with the skills needed to contribute to Ghana's national development.
He cited the collaboration between Kuban State Agrarian University and Ghanaian institutions in agricultural education and the introduction of innovative farming technologies.
He also highlighted cooperation between Northern (Arctic) Federal University and Takoradi Technical University (TTU), which has become the first Ghanaian institution to join the Russian-African Network University, creating new opportunities for exchange programmes, joint research and summer schools.
Other Russian universities, including Yaroslavl State Pedagogical University, Volgograd State Agrarian University, Novosibirsk State Technical University and Tomsk State University, are also establishing partnerships with Ghanaian institutions and professional organisations to broaden academic collaboration.
Ambassador Ordash said Russia was equally committed to promoting the Russian language and culture in Ghana through modern educational platforms and sustained institutional partnerships.
More than 500 students at the University of Ghana and the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC) are currently studying the Russian language under lecturers from Russia, he said.
The Ambassador also referenced a memorandum of understanding signed earlier this year between the international news agency Sputnik and UniMAC to establish educational programmes for journalism students under the SputnikPro initiative.
He described such initiatives as investments in the future of both countries.
“Strengthening people-to-people ties is an investment in our shared future,” he said.
“We will continue to develop educational programmes, expand the network of Russian Houses, and support youth and professional exchanges.”
The Ambassador said Russia wanted every Ghanaian who had visited the country or studied the Russian language to become a goodwill ambassador capable of strengthening the enduring friendship between the two peoples.
As he begins his diplomatic mission in Ghana, Ambassador Ordash said Russia regarded Ghana as an equal and respected partner and was committed to building relations based on mutual respect, sovereign equality and practical cooperation.
Addressing the Government of Ghana, particularly President John Dramani Mahama, he said Russia valued Ghana's pragmatic and multi-faceted foreign policy and looked forward to maintaining dynamic political dialogue at all levels.
He said both countries already had institutional mechanisms, including the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, political consultations and parliamentary engagements, which should now deliver more concrete outcomes.
“My task is to give these mechanisms real substance, so that every visit or meeting yields concrete agreements that are swiftly put into practice,” he said.
The Ambassador assured Ghana that Russia was prepared to share its experience, technology and expertise while remaining attentive to Ghana's own development priorities.
“Our cooperation must serve the interests of Ghana, its long-term development, its technological sovereignty and the prosperity of its citizens,” he said.
Turning to the Ghanaian private sector, Ambassador Ordash encouraged businesses to pursue long-term strategic partnerships with Russian companies beyond traditional trade.
Rather than focusing solely on imports of wheat, fertilisers and energy resources, he said both countries should collaborate in establishing joint manufacturing plants, agro-industrial ventures and logistics centres to create jobs, transfer technology and strengthen industrial cooperation.
He described Ghana as an ideal gateway for Russian businesses seeking access to the wider African market under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He noted that Russian companies, including Rosatom and firms in agriculture, manufacturing and engineering, were exploring opportunities in the country.
To the people of Ghana, the Ambassador expressed appreciation for the warmth and hospitality he had experienced since arriving in the country.
He pledged to strengthen the historical bonds created by thousands of Ghanaian graduates of Russian universities through additional scholarships, youth exchanges, cultural initiatives and Russian language programmes.
“We want every young Ghanaian to have the opportunity to get to know Russia, to see it with their own eyes, to gain knowledge there and to return home to help build a prosperous Ghana,” he said.
Ambassador Ordash said he hoped his tenure would be remembered for laying stronger foundations of trust between the governments, businesses and peoples of Ghana and Russia.
He expressed optimism that bilateral trade would continue to expand, more Ghanaian students would study in Russia, new joint ventures would emerge and cooperation in education, technology and innovation would deepen in the years ahead.
“The most important legacy I would like to leave behind is trust, trust between governments, trust between business people and, most importantly, trust between ordinary people, Russians and Ghanaians,” he said.
“If I succeed in strengthening this trust, making it deeper and more enduring, I will consider my mission accomplished.”
GNA