President Yan Chunhua, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), attended the China-Africa Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism Annual Conference from September 5 to 7 in Beijing. As a supporting event of 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the conference, themed on “China-Africa Higher Education Cooperation and Development in the Digital Age”, aims to build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future through higher education cooperation.
More than 200 representatives from 35 universities of 19 African countries, including Tanzania, Nigeria and South Africa, and 50 universities of China attended the conference.
President Yan Chunhua attended the China-Africa Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism Annual Conference on September 5 and the China-Africa-UNESCO dialogue on education and cultural heritage protection on September 6. In his keynote speech at the annual conference, President Yan noted that the areas of China-Africa cooperation are being expanded and deepening in the new era, especially in the key areas such as higher education and agriculture. Located in the northwest China, LZU’s unique geographical position enables it to embrace natural advantages and distinct characteristics in the research of arid and semi-arid lands and the related fields. LZU’s research in key areas such as climate change, ecological protection, agricultural technology innovation and sustainable development of animal husbandry is highly needed by the African continent. LZU and African universities have established long-term cooperative relationship and accumulated valuable experience. In the future, LZU will continue to strengthen all-round cooperation with Africa, especially in the core areas like internationalization of higher education, promotion of modern agricultural technology, and public health, contributing to realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) made by the United Nations.
On September 6, at the China-Africa-UNESCO Dialogue on Education and Cultural Heritage Protection, President Yan Chunhua presided over the session of “Higher Education and African Development”. Eight heads including ministers from the Chinese and African Ministry of Education, university presidents and UNESCO representatives jointly discussed how to promote China-Africa cooperation and common prosperity in various fields through higher education cooperation.
On September 7, Vice President Wang Wei was invited to host the roundtable discussion on “China-Africa Education Policy Alignment and Cooperation Prospects in the Digital Age”. Attendees shared experience and exchanged views on the innovation and development of China- Africa higher education.
During the conference, the China-Africa Higher Education Cooperation Collection of Cases and the China-Africa Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism – Report on the Digital Development of China-Africa Education were officially released, and the China-Africa Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism Digital Cooperation Platform was officially launched. The case “In-depth cooperation between LZU and African universities in dryland agriculture, animal husbandry and veterinary medicine — Ensuring local security of food and public health, Setting an example on building a China-Africa Community with a shared future” was selected as a typical case of bilateral cooperation.
