Digital education center to boost Sino-African ties

As part of the plans announced during the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit, the first-ever Regional Cooperation Center for China-Africa Digital Education was launched on Friday at the Open University of Kenya in Machakos County.

The launch, which also included the unveiling of the Open Learning Center, was facilitated by the collaboration between the Open University of China, Donghua University and the Open University of Kenya.

Elijah Omwenga, vice-chancellor at the Open University of Kenya, said the two centers will spur collaborative growth and enhance various capacities in Kenya as well as boost cultural exchange programs.

In addition to hosting the two centers, he said, the collaboration will also focus on staff capacity-building, development of both academic and nonacademic programs, and co-offering of the programs among other activities of mutual interest.

Carolyne Omulando, acting deputy vice-chancellor for academic affairs at the Open University of Kenya, said the collaboration will enable many people across Kenya and the globe to access education.

She said the two centers will host diverse programs, both academic and nonacademic, as per the needs of the society.

Through the collaboration, Omulando said, the Open University of Kenya will get an opportunity to learn from its Chinese counterpart building growth avenues, hosting large groups of students, as well as course facilitation.

Omulando hopes her university's schools of education and science will greatly benefit from working with Donghua University, which focuses on technology.

"We hope within the next five years we will have accomplished a number of things like the establishment of the centers and capacity-building for our staff," he said, adding that the three universities will have a meeting to come up with courses and programs that will speak to the needs of the international population.

Zhao Mingwei, director of the International Cooperation Office at Donghua University, said through the joint online programs, the three universities will be able to break geographical barriers and enable students and educators from both sides to gain and share knowledge, as well as experiences.

She said the collaboration aims to enhance Africa's digital capabilities as well as empower the relevant industries by incorporating the resources and strengths of the three parties.

"We would love to build a wide variety of innovative courses and programs which will ultimately benefit the huge human resource training needs of relevant industries, thus promoting the original economic development," Zhao said.

Wang Xiangxu, deputy dean at the Open University of China's College of International Education, said the two centers are a significant milestone in deepening educational ties between China and Africa, particularly in the fields of digital and open education.

"We are confident that these centers will play an instrumental role in guiding and demonstrating the potential of China-Africa educational cooperation, helping us to promote a more practical and in-depth partnership in digital education," he said.