On August 18th, the Opening Ceremony of The 3rd Jiangsu University Agricultural Machinery Training Program in Zambia 2020 & Senior Workshop on Modern Agricultural Machinery and Agricultural Products Processing was ceremoniously held by Jiangsu University (JSU), assisted by the University of Zambia (UNZA). With online and offline attendance, the main venue is at the Academic Auditorium of JSU and the branch venue is located in the University of Zambia.

At the main venue, Deputy Director-General Fang Jun, Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, Ministry of Education of China, Deputy Director-General Wang Chengbin, Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education of China, sent their congratulatory videos., President Yan Xiaohong and Deputy Chair Li Hongbo, University Committee of JSU addressed at the opening ceremony. At the branch venue, Vice Minister Kayula Siame, Ministry of Higher Education of Zambia, Vice Minister Songowayo Zyambo, Ministry of Agriculture of Zambia, Director General Cleophas Takaiza of TEVET of Zambia, The Acting Vice-Chancellor Tamala Tonga-Kambikambi, UNZA, and President Li Tie, CAMCO Machinery & Equipment LTD. attended the ceremony and delivered speeches. Dean Liu Zhao, The “Belt and Road” Institute of Science and Technology in Zambia, leaders of relevant functional offices, staff and students of schools (centers) that are responsible for training attended this big event. Director Huang Ting, International Office of JSU presided over the event at the main venue. Director Sande Ngalande, The Belt and Road Joint Research Center of UNZA presided over the event at the branch venue.

Deputy Director-General Fang Jun, Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, Ministry of Education of China pointed out that this training program kept in line with the guiding principles embodied in a joint document recently published by The Ministry of Education and 7 other ministries to speed up and further the opening of education in the new era. Jiangsu University manifested itself in Sino-African education cooperation as an active role and co-organized this training program with the University of Zambia. Moreover, by innovatively combining online teaching and practical operation, this training program would provide high-quality and high-level training to cultivate useful talents for Zambia and promote China-Africa relations to a new level.
Vice Minister Kayula Siame, Ministry of Higher Education of Zambia, extended her appreciation to Chinese government for its support of talent cultivation in Zambia, and highly appreciated the joint organization of this training program by Jiangsu University and the University of Zambia, which would help Zambia to achieve international cooperation, practice the concept of “A community with a Shared Future for Mankind”, realize global interconnection and sustainable development.
Deputy Director-General Wang Chengbin, Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education of China extended his congratulations to this training program. He affirmed that JSU contributed to China-Zambia friendship and “Belt and Road Initiative” on its strengths of agricultural engineering.
Vice Minister Songowayo Zyambo, Ministry of Agriculture of Zambia pointed out that agriculture is crucial to economic and social development. This training would help Zambia cultivate talents in the fields of modern agricultural machinery and agricultural food processing, and further promote the agricultural development in Zambia.
President Yan Xiaohong pointed out that JSU had kept close cooperation with the Zambian government and the University of Zambia. This training program responds to the guiding principles initiated by President Xi Jinping at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and President Xi Jinping’s instructions in his letter to agricultural colleges and universities in September 2019. President Yan wished this training program a complete success, and all students achieve progress through the training.
The Acting Vice-Chancellor Tamala Tonga-Kambikambi, UNZA pointed out that Jiangsu University had become an important international partner of UNZA. This training would further deepen the cooperation between the two universities, achieve win-win cooperation, and accumulate experience, create opportunities and potential for the cultivation of talents between the two universities.
President Li Tie, CAMCO Machinery & Equipment LTD. said that JSU and CAMCO Machinery & Equipment LTD have a solid foundation for cooperation, and highly praised JSU’s efforts to offer agricultural machinery training in Africa, especially in Zambia. CAMCO would continue to work closely with JSU to better play its role of agricultural machinery training and practice base.
Director General Cleophas Takaiza of TEVET of Zambia expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Jiangsu University for organizing this training, and affirmed that this training would effectively provide Zambia with a platform for training highly skilled talents, promote Zambia’s overall development including productivity and economy.
Deputy Chair Li Hongbo, University Committee of JSU emphasized that JSU excelled in the discipline of agricultural engineering. As an active contributor to China’s agricultural modernization, JSU had injected its strengths of agricultural machinery into the cooperation on international education between China and Africa, and laid a solid foundation for China-Zambia and China-Africa cooperation on agricultural education.

JSU, authorized by UNIDO, has held agricultural machinery management training courses for officials from 39 developing countries. Throughout years, JSU has committed to promoting the “Belt and Road” international education cooperation, the cultivation of agricultural machinery talents, which injects its strengths of agricultural machinery into the cooperation on international education between China and Africa. Moreover, the two agricultural machinery training courses conducted by JSU in Zambia in 2018 and 2019 have laid an excellent foundation for China-Zambia and China-Africa cooperation on agricultural education. Today, China and Zambia work together to develop new ways and expand the cooperation to convene this training program. It has recruited 500 students, from agricultural machinery managerial staff, workers, farmers and students of the University of Zambia, Natural Resources Development College. The training program will provide students with the opportunities to have on-site training operations in companies such as CAMCO Machinery and Equipment (Zambia) Co., Ltd. within 3-month training period. On the evening of August 18th, Channel One of Zambia National Broadcasting Company Television reported this training program at 19:00 Headline, fully acknowledging the cooperation between JSU and Zambia.