NJCIT Held a Tripartite Cooperation Signing Ceremony and the Opening Ceremony of the Training Program for Administrators and Key Teachers of Vocational Schools in African Countries

On the afternoon of May 15, the Tripartite Cooperation Signing Ceremony and the Opening Ceremony of the Training Program for Administrators and Key Teachers of Vocational Schools in African Countries among NJCIT, Mount Kenya University, and Nanjing Zhongxing Xinyada Information Technology Co., Ltd. were held in Conference Room C403 of the Administrative Building. Degratius Jagani, Executive President of Mount Kenya University, Zeng Botao, Chairman of Nanjing Zhongxing Xinyada Information Technology Co., Ltd., and Kong Jie, Party Secretary of NJCIT, attended the ceremony. Representatives from the three parties, trainees of the African training program, and heads of relevant departments of NJCIT participated in the event.

In his speech, Secretary Kong Jie, on behalf of all faculty and students, first extended a warm welcome to the African friends who had come from afar and expressed heartfelt thanks to the partner enterprises that have long supported NJCIT's internationalization efforts. He introduced that NJCIT has been deeply engaged in the field of information technology for over seventy years. Actively responding to the Belt and Road Initiative, it has taken the internationalization of education as a key engine for high-quality development and has achieved a series of practical results in areas such as teacher training, standard sharing, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges. This signing and the launch of the training program are not only a milestone in China-Kenya vocational education cooperation but also a landmark progress for NJCIT in serving China-Africa cultural and people-to-people exchanges. He stated that the Future of Africa-China-Africa Vocational Education Cooperation Program is an important vehicle for implementing the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. NJCIT's undertaking of this project is not only a recognition of its educational strength but also a profound responsibility. He expressed his hope that the three parties would take this signing as a new starting point and use the joint construction of the China-Africa Digital Technology Learning Supermarket project as a platform to deepen collaboration in areas such as teacher and student exchanges, joint scientific research, co-development of curricula, and standards development, jointly contributing the strength of vocational education to the skills enhancement of African youth and regional economic development, and working together to build a closer China-Africa community with a shared future.

President Jagani expressed his gratitude for NJCIT's warm reception and highly praised NJCIT's outstanding achievements in the field of vocational education. He stated that this collaboration with Nanjing Vocational College of Information Technology and Nanjing Zhongxing Xinyada Information Technology Co., Ltd. is a key step for Mount Kenya University in advancing its internationalization strategy. He looks forward to the three parties accelerating the implementation of the China-Africa Digital Technology Learning Supermarket project, building a high-quality platform for the skills development of Kenyan and African youth, and jointly promoting educational exchanges and cultural understanding between China and Kenya.

In his speech, Chairman Zeng Botao stated that as a leading enterprise in the field of digital transformation, Nanjing Zhongxing Xinyada Information Technology Co., Ltd. has always valued investment in the vocational education sector and will work with the institute to develop a training system adapted to the industrial needs of Africa, implementing China's mature experience in industry-education integration into cooperation projects.

At the event, Secretary Kong Jie signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding on behalf of NJCIT with Mount Kenya University and Nanjing Zhongxing Xinyada Information Technology Co., Ltd. Subsequently, NJCIT held a grand appointment ceremony for visiting professors, presenting letters of appointment to Professor Degratius Jagani and Professor Peter Wanderi, aiming to leverage the wisdom of renowned African scholars to further deepen NJCIT's research, cooperation, and exchanges with Africa.

Witnessed by all the guests, the 2026 Training Program for Administrators and Key Teachers of Vocational Schools in African Countries was officially launched. This training program is a specific implementation of the Future of Africa - China-Africa Vocational Education Cooperation Program undertaken by NJCIT, bringing together many vocational education management elites and key teachers from African countries. In his speech, a representative of the African trainees stated that they would cherish this learning opportunity, bring back to their home countries the advanced experience learned at Nanjing Vocational College of Information Technology in fields such as networking and communication, intelligent manufacturing, and artificial intelligence, and serve as non-governmental envoys for China-Africa vocational education exchanges.

It is reported that this training program is the first vocational education management training project undertaken by NJCIT for management personnel and key teachers from multiple African vocational schools. The curriculum covers cutting-edge industrial technology fields. In addition to theoretical studies, it will also arrange for participants to experience virtually the vivid practices of China's industry-education integration and school-enterprise cooperation in vocational education, and to have an immersive experience of China's educational model of industry-education integration and school-enterprise collaboration. Before the event, all guests had visited the training centers of the School of Network and Communication, the School of Artificial Intelligence, the School of Intelligent Manufacturing, and the School of Intelligent Transportation, speaking highly of NJCIT's training facilities and educational characteristics.

This tripartite cooperation marks a new stage in the institutionalized collaboration between NJCIT, African universities, and Chinese-funded enterprises. In the future, NJCIT will continue to rely on the Future of Africa-China-Africa Vocational Education Cooperation Program platform. Taking the joint construction of the China-Africa Digital Technology Learning Supermarket project as an opportunity, it will expand resource exchange and standard sharing with vocational schools in African countries, create a demonstration model for China-Africa vocational education cooperation, and contribute more of NJCIT's strength to the Belt and Road Initiative and the cause of China-Africa friendship.

Photo/Text by Dai Yangzhi and Zheng Xiancai, Office of International Exchange and Cooperation

Reviewed by Cao Xue, Office of International Exchange and Cooperation