The Deputy Coordinator of the Knowledge Sharing Program met with the Ambassador of Algeria

On November 25, 2024, the Deputy Coordinator of the E-Governance Knowledge-Sharing Program, Philipp Grinin, met with the Ambassador of Algeria, Mr. Boumediene Guennad. 

The meeting was held at the Carlton Moscow Hotel, and was dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962). A fierce war began on November 1st, when the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (L’armée de Libération National – FLN) attacked military and civilian targets throughout Algeria. The war lasted for nearly seven years, until the cease-fire and the Evian Accords were signed by France and the FLN on March 19, 1962, at Evian, France. 

Mr. Grinin presented Mr. Ambassador with a personal greeting on behalf of the Director of the HSE Center for African Studies, Mr. Andrey Maslov. In his message, Maslov congratulates Mr. Boumediene Guennad on the Revolution Day celebrated in Algeria on November 1st. 

Mr. Grinin also handed him several copies of the expert and analytical handbook “Africa 2025: Prospects and Challenges.” The book was prepared by the team of experts and scholars coordinated by the HSE University Center for African Studies, and presented during the First Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum on November 9-10, at the Sirius Federal Territory. In particular, the “African quest for Digital Sovereignty” chapter, prepared within the framework of the Center-led E-Governance Knowledge Sharing Program, offers a broader understanding of digital sovereignty in the context of the digitalization of African states. The chapter provides unique assessments of foreign influence on digitalization processes and the role of corporations, the real status of localization of data storage and hosting of African websites. It also looks at the role of African languages in enhancing the social effectiveness of digitalization and, for the first time, assesses the availability of African languages on African e-government sites.

This meeting promises to provide a good background for strengthening ties between the Center and the Algerians, as well as the Russian-Algerian relations in general.