Center’s Delegation visited the Republic of the Congo

From December 22 to 25, 2024, the director of the Center for African Studies, Andrey Maslov, Deputy Coordinator of the E-Governance Knowledge-Sharing Program, Phillip Grinin, and UNECA’s research consultant, O. Amo, visited the city of Brazzaville at the invitation of Leon Juste Ibombo, Minister of Posts, Telecommunications, and the Digital Economy of the Republic of Congo. 

During the three-day visit, the delegation toured the construction site of the African Center for Research in Artificial Intelligence (CARIA) that aims to become a continental leader in the field of AI. 

Dr. Eric Armel Ndoumba, Coordinator of the Center, stressed its interest in partnership with Russian digital companies.

They also visited the campus of the Denis Sassou Nguesso University (UDSN) that currently houses the CARIA office.

Mr. Ndoumba elaborated on the Center’s educational programs on training and professional development of civil servants, supported by the World Bank, Smart Africa, and Cisco.

During the meeting with the Minister of Posts, Telecommunications, and the Digital Economy of the Republic of the Congo, Leon Juste Ibombo, the delegation discussed the prospects of CARIA’s and the Ministry’s participation in the E-Governance Knowledge-Sharing Program. 

The Minister proposed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the HSE Center for African Studies and the Congolese Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and the Digital Economy. The draft memorandum may include joint activities within the Program and Russian support to CARIA, which promises to become a center of innovation in the field of AI in the Central African region. 

The Congolese party mentioned that it would be glad to visit Russia, strengthen partnerships with Russian companies and digital solutions suppliers, as well as start working together for the benefits of digital services.