The federal agency for international cooperation says the move in Ghana marks an expansion of Moscow's presence on the continent

Moscow is preparing to open one of its culture and education centers in Ghana, the first English-speaking African country to join the Russian House partnership list, Natalia Krasovskaya, executive director of the Center for Public Diplomacy, has announced.

Krasovskaya told TASS on Monday that an agreement has been signed authorizing the agency to establish the partner Russian House (PRD) in the West African country with support from the federal agency for international cooperation, Rossotrudnichestvo.

"We met with representatives from several regions of the country, and they all emphasized that their universities are eagerly awaiting our arrival," she said, according to the news agency.

"I believe that educational initiatives, as a form of Russia's soft power, will gain traction quickly in Ghana. Our universities will undoubtedly welcome this partnership," Krasovskaya added.

Last week, Rossotrudnichestvo announced an expansion of its presence in Africa, adding than a deal has been reached for the opening of the 20th PRD in Accra, Ghana's capital.

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"It will become a platform for the development of public diplomacy, popularization of the Russian language and culture," the agency said in a statement published on its Telegram channel.

The facility, according to the statement, will mainly be responsible for holding events such as lectures, exhibitions, and film screenings about Russia, as well as preparing Ghanaian students for admission to Russian universities.

Moscow's PRD currently covers 17 countries, Rossotrudnichestvo reported on March 4. Non-state 'Russian Houses' have the status of a partner of the state agency and operate in the scientific, educational, cultural, economic, information and other humanitarian fields.

Along with Russian Houses, there are also Centers of Russian Culture and Science run directly by Rossotrudnichestvo in Algeria, Guinea, Somalia, Sierra Leone, the CAR, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Sudan, Tanzania, and others.

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During the 2023 Russia-Africa summit, President Putin proposed establishing Russian language centers across the continent, citing education as a "traditional area" of cooperation between Moscow and Africa.

In November, Rossotrudnichestvo said students from the continent are leading in applications to Russian universities, with over 14,000 submissions for the 2024-2025 academic year alone.

Ghana's president, John Dramani Mahama, obtained his postgraduate degree in social psychology from the Institute of Social Sciences in Moscow in 1988.

In February last year, Russia's Patrice Lumumba People's Friendship University and a Ghanaian firm announced a five-year scholarship initiative to allow hundreds of students from the former British colony to pursue degrees in agriculture, information technology, waste management, and climate change until 2029.