On July 28-30, 2025, Vsevolod Sviridov, Deputy Director of the HSE Center for African Studies, as part of a delegation led by Sergei Tsivilev, Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, visited the countries of the Sahara-Sahel region — Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.

In Niger, the Russian delegation met with Ousmane Abarchi, Minister of Mines, Republic of the Niger, in Mali – with Alusseni Sanou, Minister of Finance and the Economy for Mali, in Burkina Faso – with Yakouba Zagré Gouba, Minister of Energy, Mines and Quarries.

During the meetings, Sviridov presented the e-Governance Knowledge Sharing Program implemented with the support of the Government of the Russian Federation and “Innopraktika” company, and discussed with partners the development of cooperation in the field of knowledge-sharing on e-governance.

Also in Burkina Faso, Sviridov visited the Ministry of Digital Transition, Posts, and Electronic Communications of Burkina Faso, where he met with the Director of the Cabinet of Ministers Abdoulaye Ouedraogo and the Secretary General of the Ministry Borly Somet. During the meeting, the parties discussed possible areas of cooperation in the field of e-governance.