Source: Russia offers to partner Zim on Fourth Industrial Revolution – herald
Mukudzei Chingwere in NIZHNY NOVGOROD, Russia
THE Russian Federation has scaled lofty standards in digital economic technologies and artificial intelligence solutions and says it is ready to facilitate the free international transfer of such innovations to the Global South, a senior Russian Government official has said.
Governor Gleb Nikitin of the Nizhny Novgorod region made the remarks when he met Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga on the sidelines of the Digital Industry of Industrial Russia (CIPR) conference.
He used the engagement to propose deeper cooperation with Zimbabwe in key areas of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
According to Sberbank, the largest financial institution in Russia and Central and Eastern Europe, the country has already realised significant economic gains from digitisation.
Rolling stock manufacturers, for example, have reduced equipment repair costs by 30 percent and cut downtime by 12 percent through continuous monitoring systems.
Paper manufacturers using Internet of Things technologies have also monitored more than 20 000 machines, achieving a 40 percent reduction in labour costs, a 50 percent drop in defect rates, and a 10 percent improvement in overall equipment service life.
Governor Nikitin said Nizhny Novgorod was ready to support cooperation in areas central to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with particular emphasis on data-driven growth and industrial digitalisation.
He also proposed digital education scholarships for Zimbabwean students, saying the region’s universities offer programmes that combine information technology, analytics and leadership training.
Top universities in Nizhny Novgorod offer Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees integrating IT architecture, artificial intelligence in economics, data mining and digital product management alongside traditional management and leadership disciplines.
Governor Nikitin further said his Government plans to send a delegation to Zimbabwe to explore modalities of cooperation, including partnerships between Zimbabwean stakeholders and Russian institutions.
“We have top universities that provide digital training and we have Zimbabweans who are already in these institutions, and we want more, so we are offering opportunities for Zimbabwean students to come and learn here,” he said.
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