World
Festival Seeks Graduates for Work in Africa
By Kester Kenn Klomegah
In this Eurasia Review interview, Natalie Pavlovna Neporada, Head of the International Recruitment and Cooperation Department of the Russian University of People’s Friendship or popularly referred to as RUDN, talks about recruitment of graduates for employment in Africa, and further about efforts at identifying various sectors with job opportunities and diverse ways to increase the number of specialists from Russian universities to support humanitarian cooperation between Russia and Africa.
Her university is an educational and research institution located in Moscow. It was established in 1960 to provide higher education to Third World students. It became an integral part of the Soviet cultural offensive in nonaligned countries. Many students especially from developed countries attend this university.
As an Executive Director at the International Employers’ Club, Natalie Neporada has initiated and coordinated employment festivals and job fairs that seek to establish a long-term cooperation and development of relations with and within Africa. The idea of this festival is to become an annual event. Here are the excerpts from the interview:
What’s the aim of the festival “I want to work in Africa”?
The aim of the festival “I want to work in Africa” is to ensure communication of the maximum number of potential employers with the target audience – students and graduates from African countries studying in the Russian Federation, as well as promote the African region as promising and with a lot of potential. This festival will also help African students and graduates as well as any student or graduate interested in working in the region find a good work placement, broaden their minds and, in general, appreciate the multi-faced cultures of the continent
Why only at this time it is being organized?
There are several reasons for that. As you may know, late 2018 the RUDN University established the International Employers’ Club as means to unite employers, universities and students/graduates. The club was founded by the RUDN University as well as Russian HR holding Ancor, Domodedovo holding, Syngenta, Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Russia-Brazil Chamber of Commerce.
It is under the International Employers’ Club that the festival will be taking place. The decision to organize the festival dedicated to Africa lies in our desire to be unconventional covering new grounds and providing new opportunities. There is also an ever-rising interest in the African countries as promising and with great potential. We do plan on broadening our reach and dedicating similar events to other parts of the world, but the Africa-related festival is planned to be an annual event.
Who are the target groups? Russian students in the university?
The target audience – students and graduates who want to be employed in the African region, that is, students from African countries studying in the Russian Federation, but any student or graduate from any walk of life, passionate about working in Africa, is welcome. But the vent is also organized for Russian companies developing business projects in Africa, African companies with interests in the Russian market, international holdings, business associations, alumni associations and Russian and foreign universities are also invited to participate.
How does it work, what mechanism do you have in place?
The mechanism for employment of students and graduates after the festival relies on inspiring interest and increasing an already existing interest within the students and graduates for working in Africa and interest of African and international employers in students and graduates from Russian universities. We already have experience in HR scouting and helping with employment in the region. We have been carrying out such work for several years now.
Many high-stakes companies from Russia, Africa or around the world are invited to meet, greet, celebrate African culture and its promising prospects in the areas of development as well as share experience. Students and graduates are invited as well to meet those high-profile companies, tell them about their skills and knowledge acquired in the RUDN University to potentially secure a job.
With whom, in Africa, do you intend to work with African employers?
To name a few, we will have master-classes held by employers of Universal Mining & Chemical Industries Ltd from Zambia, Fintrac Consulting Limited from Nigeria, Letshego Bank Tanzania, Dikon Associates Co. Ltd General Trading from Gambia and many other employers and representatives of African companies will attend. A b4b session between Chambers of Commerce of Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Republic of South Africa, Tanzania, Namibia, Zimbabwe, as well as representatives of the Mauritius Economic Development Council.
And in Russia?
Representatives of world-famous holding Danone will hold a master-class as part of our festival. Russian companies such as Rosatom will be participating. Many other high-profile employers will come celebrate the African cultures and future business opportunities along with many Russian universities and Alumni associations. The idea of this festival was to make new partnerships and enrich old ones with new opportunities, prospects and relations.
This is an international employment. So, what about getting visas for Russians and other foreigners who want to go to Africa?
The festival aims to invite as many African and international companies to participate, therefore, because the estimated majority of those willing to work in African countries are, in fact, students from Africa there is no need for a visa or a work permit. One of the most important directions we are developing is employment of students in their homeland. However, should a student without a visa desire to work in an African company, we will help in acquiring a visa.
This interview was first and originally published by Eurasia Review
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria regained its position as Africa’s leading destination for equity startup investment in the first half of 2026, raising $214 million in equity financing and a total of $254 million across equity and debt, according to the latest Africa: The Big Deal report.
The report, titled H1 2026: Mapping the Money, showed that Nigeria ranked second on the continent in total funding, behind Egypt, which attracted $327 million, while Kenya and South Africa followed with $126 million and $83 million, respectively.
However, the report noted that Egypt’s top position was largely driven by a single fundraising by electric mobility company Spiro, which secured $327 million, including $270 million in equity and $57 million in debt. Excluding debt financing, Nigeria emerged as Africa’s largest equity funding market in the first six months of the year.
According to the breakdown by Africa: The Big Deal, Nigeria’s equity funding of $214 million was higher than Egypt’s $183 million, while South Africa and Kenya attracted $66 million and $46 million, respectively.
Beyond funding value, Nigeria also led the continent in the number of startups that raised at least $100,000 during the review period, reclaiming the top spot after what the report described as an “underwhelming” second half of 2025.
The publication observed that Nigeria’s fundraising performance has remained relatively stable over the past few years and exceeded the $250 million mark for the first time since 2022, pointing to renewed investor confidence in the country’s startup ecosystem.
It also found that while the Big Four startup markets—Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya and South Africa—continued to dominate Africa’s investment landscape, their combined share of total funding stood at 58 per cent in the first half of 2026.
“Zooming back on the Big Four (110 out of 190 $100k+ deals, i.e. 58%), Nigeria is head and shoulders above its peers, with Egypt and Kenya almost tying, and South Africa in fourth position again,” the report noted.
The report highlighted contrasting performances among the continent’s largest startup ecosystems. While Nigeria and Egypt maintained strong funding momentum, Kenya recorded its weakest funding performance since early 2021 after a strong second half of 2025, and South Africa failed to attract $100 million in funding during the period despite leading the continent a year earlier.
Africa: The Big Deal also noted a broader shift in investor behaviour, with funding increasingly concentrated in larger transactions while early-stage investments continued to decline. According to the publication, the drop in smaller funding rounds reflects growing concerns about limited capital available for early-stage startups across Africa.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Accessing the US Dollar in the East Africa region has now been made easier with the expansion of the stablecoin settlement infrastructure of SCRYPT.
This development enables banks, payment providers and corporate treasury teams to move value into and out of the continent in real time.
Businesses paying international suppliers frequently have to convert local currency into USD before purchasing stablecoins for settlement, incurring FX conversions and spreads before any payment is made.
But SCRYPT is eliminating this intermediate conversion by enabling direct settlement corridors for local African currencies into stablecoins.
This development allows businesses to move from local currency to stablecoin settlement in a single licensed transaction, without first sourcing rationed bank dollars, as stablecoins are increasingly becoming settlement infrastructure rather than an investment product.
The expansion adds settlement support across four African currencies: the Kenyan shilling (KES), Tanzanian shilling (TZS), Rwandan franc (RWF) and Ugandan shilling (UGX). Each corridor is delivered through the same full-stack infrastructure our clients already use for trading, custody and treasury operations.
Speaking on this, the chief executive of SCRYPT, Norman Wooding, said, “Across Africa, stablecoin adoption is driven by economic need, not speculation.
“Businesses here are not chasing yield; they are trying to pay suppliers and manage treasury without losing margin to a banking system that rations dollars. Licensed, fair-rate dollar access is the clearest proof of what this infrastructure is for.”
Also commenting, the Managing Director of Markets & Trading at SCRYPT, Mr Gabriel Titopoulos, said, “Until now, reaching stablecoins from local African currencies meant buying scarce dollars and incurring several layers of conversion costs.
“SCRYPT removes this friction. Firms and payment providers can now settle straight from local currencies through live corridors, with local partners.”
World
African Graduates Association Promoting Multifaceted Initiatives With Russian Educational Institutions
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
In preparations for the third Russia-Africa Summit, scheduled for late October 2026, Dr Francois Ngan, deputy chairman of the Union of Associations of African Graduates of Soviet and Russian Universities, during an official working visit, has held a consultative meeting with Professor Vladimir Filippov, the President of the Russian University of Peoples’ Friendship (RUDN), and former Minister of Higher Education of Russia, Chairman of the National Commission for Accreditation of Higher Education.
RUDN is an educational institution established in 1960, primarily to provide higher education to Third World students. It has now become a popular multidisciplinary spot for many students, especially from developing countries. The university offers various academic programmes and has research infrastructure that comprises laboratories and interdisciplinary centres. The university is named after the former Congolese leader, Patrice Lumumba.
Dr Francois Ngan and Professor Filippov discussed the importance of the Graduates Association as a continental platform dedicated to strengthening unity, cooperation, and promoting shared progress among African graduates who studied in the former Soviet Union and in the Russian Federation. They also reviewed multifaceted initiatives that could bring together alumni associations from across Africa, whose members obtained education and professional training, and cultural experiences in Soviet and Russian institutions of higher learning.
Professor Filippov expressed optimism in addressing emerging challenges as a result of shifting geopolitical changes, emphasised strategic cooperation in the educational sphere with Africa, in general, and with the Republic of Cameroon, in particular, and further about the integration of African students during their studies in the Russian Federation.
The meeting also touched on academic and scientific work, the possibility of rewriting a scientific thesis, and the official organisation of transferring versions translated into six languages for the library of RUDN. Significant questions relating to Russia’s educational opportunities, collaborations and partnerships involving African countries were thoroughly discussed.
The Union of Associations of African Graduates of Soviet and Russian Universities was created under one continental umbrella to promote friendship, for professional networking, to engage in cultural exchange, and with particular emphasis on forging strategic cooperation between Africa and Russia.
