China-Africa university exchange mechanism expands capacity and efficiency

Recently, the China Higher Education Association announced the list of Chinese member universities of the "China-Africa University Cooperation Plan" and the "China-Africa University Alliance" exchange mechanism. 50 universities were selected as Chinese member universities of the "China-Africa University Cooperation Plan" , 252 universities were absorbed as Chinese member universities of the "China-Africa University Alliance" exchange mechanism. This is another major action taken by China to support the development of education in Africa. It marks the expansion and efficiency of cooperation between Chinese and African universities and opens up a new path for China's education to open to the outside world.

Africa has the weakest higher education system in the world. Currently, Africa is struggling to bridge the gap between education and industry. In February 2024, the African Union released "Agenda 2063: The Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan", proposing changes in higher education, including increasing the net enrollment rate in higher education to at least 50%; requiring 40% of university graduates to Its majors are related to science, technology, engineering, mathematics education and other disciplines; to improve the contribution rate and transformation rate of scientific research results, by 2033, 50% of Africa's scientific output can be transformed into industrial innovation and enterprise production.

China firmly supports Africa's development needs. China actively implements the China-Africa Talent Cultivation Cooperation Plan and other agreement documents, proactively aligns with the development goals of the African Union, and selects more than 250 universities to carry out specific cooperation with African universities in joint research, talent training, knowledge innovation, and cultural understanding, including more than 70% of Chinese universities focus on majors closely related to industrial development such as agriculture, health, resource development, environmental protection, and digital education. The key areas of cooperation between Chinese and African universities are closely aligned with the AU's "Second Decade" goals, which will effectively strengthen the consistency of actions among all stakeholders, promote the accessibility of Africa's education reform goals, and inject sustained momentum into Africa's development. .

Under the framework of the "China-Africa University Alliance" exchange mechanism, a large number of "double first-class", local universities and private universities have carried out inter-school cooperation and exchanges with various African universities. Chinese and African universities will re-understand and re-interpret the core concepts of human civilization and development based on the development practices and experiences of both sides. The experience of Chinese and African civilizations and governance, as well as the technology, knowledge and talents required for South-South cooperation, will become the basis for the discipline construction and development of universities on both sides. The new focus of scientific research, talent training, and international exchanges.

As a result, universities on both sides have also ushered in new developments. For the African side, it will improve its own capacity building and better meet the actual development needs; for the Chinese side, it will effectively balance the long-term asymmetry of "more imports" and "less globalization" in the field of education internationalization, and promote Chinese universities to Interact and mutually construct education with other countries around the world, accelerate the overall process of internationalization of higher education, and build a more balanced and complete education opening pattern.

The "Hundred-School Cooperation Plan for China-Africa Universities" proposes to carry out inter-school cooperation in the form of clusters on joint scientific research, student exchanges, teacher exchanges, talent training, etc. Cluster cooperation requires the transformation of the past individual combat model into a collaborative effort model with agglomeration of elements. It also requires targeted integration and reconstruction of cooperation objects and project benefits, and systematic planning and collaboration of cooperation resources such as human, financial, material, and policy systems. action.

China will further strengthen its close connection with African continental, regional or professional organizations such as the African Union, multilateral cooperation with international organizations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the World Bank and other countries, and jointly build key industries of the "Belt and Road Initiative". interactive collaboration. Cluster cooperation is expected to actively promote the intensification of internal resources and maximize external benefits, including linking talents, knowledge and technology between universities and industries to generate a collaborative value chain effect; promoting the effective flow of knowledge and technology to generate innovative technologies and production factors Deep integration; assisting industrial upgrading and promoting economic and social development.

Currently, Chinese and African universities emphasize the collaborative linking of talent, knowledge, technology and other resource elements from both sides to major theoretical and practical issues in China-Africa cooperation. A group of Chinese science, engineering, economic and trade colleges are focusing on carrying out practical cooperation with African universities in the fields of knowledge flow, technology transfer and professional talent training to adapt to the development of "new economy" formats such as digital economy, green development and health industry, and realize the differences between the two sides. development goals. A group of universities in the humanities and social sciences will make efforts in deepening the sharing of development concepts and social governance experiences between China and Africa, promoting cultural exchanges and people-to-people bonds, and assisting cooperation between the two sides from the ideological and cognitive levels.

China and Africa regard each other as one of the most important partners. To strengthen exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and African civilizations, to tell the story of "truth, real results, affinity and good faith" between China and Africa, and to promote the joint construction of a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future, Chinese and African universities have a duty-free responsibility and great potential.