Follow us on:

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube

Domestic

Eight meeting of the China-Africa Think Tanks Forum |28 August 2019

Eight meeting of the China-Africa Think Tanks Forum

Seychelles is also being represented at the event by commercial attaché at the Seychelles embassy in China, Haoyuan Gao

Building connections, the way forward for small emerging universities

 

The challenges of globalisation, especially immigration issues, more border control and security has obliged even the smallest countries of this world to think of developing their own universities, Dr Justin Valentin, the vice-chancellor of the University of Seychelles has said.

Dr Valentin made the statement during a presentation at the ongoing eight meeting of the China-Africa Think Tanks Forum which is taking place at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China.

The event is being attended by over 400 representatives, including diplomatic envoys from 45 African countries, Think Tank scholars, media representatives, along with Chinese government officials.

Being held exactly one year after the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (Focac), the forum is taking place under the theme ‘Fully implementing the follow-up actions of the Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation’.

The work was launched by Jiang Guojun, chairman of the Zhejiang Normal University.

Seychelles is also being represented at the event by commercial attaché at the Seychelles embassy in China, Haoyuan Gao.

In his intervention, Dr Valentin noted that from the initial objectives of providing an affordable education to its own population, the shift now is to provide a learning base to other bigger nations where security and conflict are limiting access to higher education.

This, he said, is in line with the new objective of the University of Seychelles to offer a home for other learners of the region who are finding it difficult to attend school in their own countries.

He explained that the University of Seychelles is approaching the issue of growth along the following dimensions and that the establishment believes in building national and international links.

“It is so fortunate that we have a country like China who aspire to be part of this quest,” added Dr Valentin.

Among some of the tangible items for consideration which he said will need an agenda with clear targets, was an erasmus mundus model of training and learning among the Africans and African universities.

He further added that, in the meantime, investing in some professional is an imperative.

“We have so many issues and challenges in common that we have to develop common programmes to address them,” said the vice-chancellor who further added that we need to study Africa and make theories more meaningful and applicable to us.

He further explained that through this forum, he is inviting colleagues from Africa to use the platform being provided by China to develop research and academic agendas that respond to our immediate needs and challenges.

Dr Valentin also explained that, specific to the Seychelles context, the University of Seychelles offers an interesting context for research in numerous fields and to Chinese scholars who would like to understand more about small African states,

“we can propose themes in the following areas which may have global interest –Tourism, Environment and the Blue economy, Investment in small states and Dealing with brain drain phenomenon”.

To conclude, he noted that, the platform being proposed by China has potential to benefit African countries in a number of ways and that we should see it as a long-term movement hence start working on ways we should engage further as from tomorrow.

The eighth meeting, which ends today, is being hosted by the secretariat of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and is being organised by the Institute of the African Studies at the Zhejiang Normal University in collaboration with the China-Africa Institute and the China Institute of International Studies.

The China-Africa Think Tanks Forum was set up by the Institute of African Studies at the Zhejiang Normal University in 2011 and was officially incorporated into the framework of the Focac in 2012.

It has become a fixed mechanism for China-Africa civil dialogue and an event for the institute to further develop African studies with Chinese characteristics.

As a ‘folk-oriented’ and ‘government-participated’ forum, it aims to expand consensus by open dialogue.

It holds yearly meeting, in rotation between china and Africa and gathers delegates from government agencies, non-governmental organisations and academic institutions from both sides.

Over the years, the forum has effectively improved communications and mutual understanding between China and Africa and also works as a platform for the Chinese and African academic institutions and think tanks to jointly implement China-Africa cooperation and for developing countries to share intellectual products and exchange developing experience and wisdom.

More news