The China-Africa Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism Annual Conference, a side event of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, was inaugurated at the Beijing International Convention Center on Sept 5. 

The conference, with the theme "China-Africa Higher Education Cooperation and Development in the Digital Age", aimed to foster a high-level Sino-African community with a shared future through collaboration in the higher education sector, amplifying the voice of the Global South. 

Representatives sign 14 Sino-African educational cooperation projects during the conference on Sept 5. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn] 

The conference releases major cooperative outcomes on Sept 5. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn] 

The event featured a signing ceremony for 14 Sino-African educational cooperation projects, accompanied by the release of major cooperative outcomes. 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 unveiled, and a digital cooperation platform was launched. 

Wang Dinghua, secretary of the CPC BFSU committee and Chinese executive director of the China-Africa Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism, delivers a report on the mechanism's work on Sept 5. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

Olusola Oyewole, secretary-general of the Association of African Universities and African executive director of the China-Africa Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism, delivers a report on the mechanism's work on Sept 5. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

University leaders and invited guests exchange views during the conference’s roundtable discussions on Sept 5. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

The opening day also included three academic dialogues, where university leaders and invited guests from China and Africa exchanged views and shared experiences on such topics as educational cooperation and knowledge sharing in the digital age, digital education and cross-cultural communication, and China-Africa cooperation and talent development in the digital age. 

The conference was hosted by Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU). Representatives from 35 universities across 19 African countries, including Tanzania, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, Cameroon, Malawi, Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique and Somalia, joined delegates from over 50 Chinese universities in attendance.