President of Ghana John Dramani Mahama becomes Honorary Doctor of RUDN University

Currently, 44 students from Ghana study at the university: 19 in bachelor’s programmes, 12 in master’s programmes, 6 in postgraduate programmes, 2 in residency programmes, and 2 at RUDN University’s preparatory faculty. The most popular majors for students from Ghana are International Relations, Economics, and Nursing. In total, since RUDN University’s founding, 742 specialists have been trained for Ghana.

“I bring the warmest greetings from Ghana and want to thank the Russian government and the Russian people for their hospitality,” said John Dramani Mahama. “I am grateful to RUDN University leadership, which has welcomed me into its academic community. I accept this status with humility and a renewed sense of responsibility for the benefit of my country and the world and for contributing to mutual understanding between our peoples. This is an honour, and I will bear this status with pride, pass on knowledge, bring people together, and create connections between Russia and Ghana.”

The President of Ghana noted that, upon arriving at the university campus, he felt nostalgic, as he had studied in Moscow 40 years ago. A visit to RUDN University, according to him, reminded him of his responsibility as one of Africa’s leaders, since the university bears the name of Patrice Lumumba.

“He fought for the dignity and peaceful life of African peoples and entered the heart of our history,” said the President of Ghana. “For the people of Ghana, the name of Patrice Lumumba is closely linked to our first president: both Patrice Lumumba and Kwame Nkrumah belonged to a generation that wanted a different, better future for all of us. Today we live in a world where various conflicts are taking place, and cooperation in education keeps the possibility of dialogue open and allows people to work together on problems that no country can solve alone: from healthcare to food security, from energy sources to climate change.”

According to the President, access to school education, expanded opportunities for obtaining higher education and continuous improvement of its quality, scientific research, and the practical application of its results are priority tasks for Ghana’s leadership and all its institutions.

“Investments in education give us confidence in addressing the world’s problems. They make it possible to improve healthcare, agriculture, business, and develop social institutions,” said the President of Ghana.

The President also addressed students from Ghana studying at RUDN University. He urged them to use every chance and opportunity they have received, absorb knowledge, gain experience, and subsequently, after graduating from the university, pass this knowledge on and use it for the common good.

“Remember the hopes of your people that are invested in your education. Your knowledge can help patients, support farmers, improve public institutions, and create jobs for others. These are meaningful achievements!” he said.

RUDN University Rector Oleg Yastrebov noted that awarding the regalia of Honorary Doctor of RUDN University to the President of the Republic of Ghana symbolises the university’s special connection with the African continent and emphasises the Ghanaian leader’s merits in developing the national education system and strengthening international cooperation through academic science and partnership.

“The principles of this strategy are deeply consonant with the ideas underlying the creation of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia. RUDN University is a unique educational project that arose from a very bold idea of a young country 66 years ago,” he said. “Training specialists for African countries has been one of the university’s key tasks since its founding. Throughout its history, RUDN University has trained dozens of statesmen for African countries. But most importantly, it has trained tens of thousands of specialists for all sectors of the national economy. We continue this important work today.”

Oleg Yastrebov recalled that RUDN University is implementing a strategy to attract the most talented applicants from African countries and supports these students throughout their studies.

“This year, following the visit to RUDN University by the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, our university became a partner of Tanzania’s Presidential Fund for Support of Talented Youth ‘Samia Scholarship.’ As a result already in September, ten of the most talented graduates of Tanzanian schools, selected by the fund from among the country’s best graduates, are studying at the university. We intend to expand the geography of such cooperation in Africa and would be glad to participate in a similar programme in Ghana and other countries,” said the Rector.

He noted that, to support capable and motivated students, RUDN University developed and established a special Patrice Lumumba Stipend ahead of the Third Russia–Africa Summit. It is intended for students from African countries who demonstrate high academic results. This year, seven top students will receive an additional stipend of 20,000 rubles per month until the end of the academic year.