Your Excellency, Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania,
Your Excellency, Kassim Majaliwa, Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania,
Hon. Prof. Adolf Mkenda, Minister of Education, Science and Technology of Tanzania,
Hon. Albert Chalamila, Regional Commissioner of Kagera,
Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen:
Good morning! Habari za Asubuhi!
Today, I feel very glad and excited to witness the handover of China-aided Project of Kagera Vocational Training and Service Centre in Tanzania with you all. On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania, I hereby would like to extend my warm congratulations on the completion and handover of the Project, and my heartfelt thanks to Your Excellency President, Samia Suluhu Hassan for your presence at the ceremony and your strong support on China-Tanzania cooperation. Meanwhile, I would like to thank the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Kagera local government and other relevant institutions for your long-term cooperation, and thank Chinese implementing company, Shanxi Construction and Investment Group Co. Ltd for your hard work and high sense of responsibility during the past three years of construction. I know there are still a lot of people and institutions, who I am not able to indicate one by one, care and devote to the project. Today, the dream comes true for them. My sincere thanks go to each of them. With joint efforts of all parties, Kagera Vocational Training and Service Centre was successfully completed and now is officially handed over to Tanzania for use.
The Chinese government has long cared about education and capacity building in Africa. In November, 2021, at the opening ceremony of the eighth Ministerial Conference of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China will work closely with African countries to implement nine programs, including capacity building program. China will help build or upgrade 10 schools in Africa, and invite 10,000 high-level African professionals to seminars and workshops. We will implement “Future of Africa- a project for China-Africa cooperation for vocational education”, and start an employment “through train”scheme for African students in China. China will continue to work with African countries to set up “Luban Workshops”, and encourage Chinese companies in Africa to create at least 800,000 local jobs.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has also attached great importance to education. Last year, she addressed that the improvement of education and health sectors was the key priority for her government, and has taken a series of measures to ensure transformative education system and improve the learning and teaching environment in Tanzania, including increasing the investment into technical and vocational education.
It is under the guidance of these visionary strategic decisions that Kagera Vocational Training and Service Centre could be successfully completed and delivered. The Centre covers an area of 6,000 square meters, has 19 classrooms, 9 training workshops, and can accommodate 400 students at the same time to accept vocational training in electronics, welding, machining, plumbing, carpentry, masonry, painting and other specialties. It will provide effective and sustainable vocational training, cultivate a large number of skilled talents and contribute to the individualization of Tanzania, as well as creating a high-quality training place for the youth, helping them to acquire practical skills, improving their employability and opening the door to success.
China not only supports Tanzania’s infrastructural construction in vocational education, but also actively shares our experience with Tanzanian friends. In April this year, Seminar in Faculty development for Kagera Vocational College of Tanzania was successfully held. More than ten officials from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and local government and front-line teachers learned about China’s technical talent training model and discussed with Chinese experts on the topic of China-Tanzania vocational education cooperation, which achieved positive results.
As an all-weather friend and good partner, China has always support the vigorous development of education in Tanzania. In recent years, the Chinese government provides more than 200 government scholarships and hundreds of training programs to Tanzania every year. So far, China has provided more than 2000 scholarships and thousands of vocational training opportunities to Tanzania, and kept training local people in Chinese language and culture, practical skills and professional knowledge through platforms like Confucius Institute, Luban Workshop and technical assistance. China has also helped build two China-Africa Friendship Primary Schools for Tanzania and a library for the University of Dar es Salaam, which is the largest and best-equipped library in Africa.
I believe that China and Tanzania will seize the opportunity of implementing outcomes of the FOCAC and continue to deepen bilateral educational exchanges and cooperation, including vocational education and training. Hope we can create more education and training opportunities for Tanzania, cultivate applicable talents for various industries, enhance Tanzania’s independent development capabilities and finally serve Tanzania’s development goals of industrialization and leap towards a middle-and high-income country.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In Chinese culture, October symbolizes harvest and hope. On October 1st, at the occasion of the 73rd Anniversary of Founding of the People’s Republic of China, I had the honor to meet H.E. President Samia Suluhu Hassan. During the meeting, she stressed that Tanzania hoped to continuously deepen bilateral friendship with China and promoted Tanzania-China Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership to a new level. Today, witnessing the handover of the China-aided Project with H.E. President Samia Suluhu Hassan, I deeply feel that China-Tanzania traditional friendship has borne more fruits in the new era. China-Tanzania friendship was founded by Chairman Mao Zedong, President Julius Nyerere and other leaders of the older generation of our two countries, and has endured and deepened through the tests of changes in international landscape. Under personal attention and strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Samia Suluhu Hassan, China-Tanzania relations have shown strong momentum of development in political dialogue, economic and trade cooperation, military exchanges, people-to-people communication and international collaboration. I am sincerely pleased and privileged by this.
May China and Tanzania enjoy everlasting friendship and flourishing cooperation!
Thank you! Asante sana!