To Train Construction and Operation Talents for Kenya Railways – CRBC and BJTU Sign the Strategic Cooperation Agreement for "Belt and Road" International Joint Training Program

On March 9, CCCC•CRBC - BJTU (Beijing Jiaotong University) signing ceremony of Strategic Cooperation Agreement for "Belt and Road" International Joint Training Program was held at the Science Hall of BJTU. At the same time, the opening ceremony of the second group of Kenyan students fully financed by CRBC was held in BJTU, and 35 Kenyan students would start their 4-5 years learning in BJTU. This program is aimed to train and transport high-end talents for the construction and operation of the railway network in Kenya and even in East Africa.

Zhou Wei – chief engineer of the Ministry of Transport, Michael Kinyanjui – the Kenyan ambassador to China, Fang Jun – Deputy Director of Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Education, Sun Ziyu – a member of the standing committee of the Party Committee of CCCG and Vice President of CCCC, Wang Jingchun – Party Secretary of Overseas Business Department and Executive President of CCCC, Lu Shan - Executive General Manager of Overseas Business Department of CCCC and President of CRBC, Fang Qiuchen – President of China International Contractors Association and Ning Bin – President of BJTU attended the ceremony.

This education aid activity is carried out jointly by CRBC and the Kenyan government, and it is a specific action of implementing “10 major China-Africa cooperation plans” and also a specific practice of CRBC promoting the “people-to-people bond” project between China and Kenya. In December, 2015, President Xi Jinping proposed “10 major China-Africa cooperation plans” at Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. At the meeting, President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and President Xi Jinping reached an agreement on the education and training issue. China would financially aid 1000 Kenyan students to accept undergraduate training in China. For this, CRBC would fully financed 100 excellent Kenyan high school graduates to study in BJTU in three groups and there, these students would accept 4-5 years’ undergraduate education in the majors related to railways. At the same time, CRBC would donate USD 100 million for the construction of Railway Technology College so as to strengthen the “hematopoietic function” of local talents and strengthen the self-help sustainable development ability of Kenya.

Zhou Wei - chief engineer of the Ministry of Transport indicated that in Mombasa-Nairobi SGR Project and Nairobi-Maraba Railway in Kenya, CCCC closely connected the “Chinese Dream” and the “African dream” bearing the same development interests, and that the Chinese enterprises would help to promote the interconnectivity and integration process of East Africa Sub-region. The holding of this international student-aiding activity will not only deepen the education cooperation between China and Kenya and transport high-end talents for the future operation of the railway network in Kenya and East Africa, and is of great significance to the economic and social development of Kenya and “three networks and the industrialization” of Africa, and shows the deep friendship between China and Kenya.

CCCC Vice President Sun Ziyu indicated that CCCC actively practiced the “belt and road” initiative, and paid much attention to the “soft connectivity” with people along the belt and road while committed to realizing the “hard connectivity” of infrastructure. He pointed out that CCCC was committed to becoming a vital responsibility sharer of government and economic and social development of Africa and Kenya, deep participant of regional economic development and high-quality provider of government purchasing of public services. He hoped that this group of Kenyan students could finally return to Kenya as “old China hands”, become messengers of cultural communication between China and Kenya, give play to the role of “bridges and bonds” and make the Chinese wisdom of “harmony in diversity” and the Chinese idea of “peaceful development, harmonious coexistence” benefit Kenya.

Michael Kinyanjui – the Kenyan ambassador to China expressed his thanks to CCCC for its all-round help for the development of Kenya. He indicated that when constructing a batch of influential transport infrastructure projects in Kenya, CRBC actively fulfilled the local elements, practiced the consensus on China-Africa cooperation and make great contributions to the economic and social development of Kenya.

Ning Bin – President of BJTU thought that jointly promoted by the “belt and road” initiative of China and “three networks and the industrialization” construction of Africa, the "Belt and Road" International Joint Training Program was not only of important significance to the construction and final-period management of railways in Kenya, but also would serve and help the Chinese enterprises to “go global” better.

CRBC President Lu Shan gave a speech in English. He pointed out that CRBC was the constructor of Mombasa-Nairobi SGR – China-Kenya Century Railway and also the practitioners of friendship between China and Kenya. Since 1984, CRBC has constructed over 20 projects in Kenya and is widely praised by the government and people of Kenya. When constructing Mombasa-Nairobi SGR Project, through the project construction technical training, helping Kenya to build the railway engineering technology college and financially aiding the Kenyan students to study in China, CRBC realized the employee training and technical transfer. During the construction, through building wild animal migration passage in viaduct and culvert, CRBC realized the harmony and unity of project construction, biological diversity and environmental protection. And because of this, Mombasa-Nairobi SGR, as a landmark, breakthrough and demonstration project under cooperation between China and Kenya and even between China and Africa, is not only the “friendship railway” between China and Africa in the new era, but also the “railway of cooperation and win-win”, “railway of prosperous development” and “railway of eco-environment protection”.

After the activity, CRBC President Lu Shan accepted the interview of such media as CCTV and China Daily, introduced the specific action of CRBC implementing “10 major China-Africa cooperation plans” and the practice and measures of CRBC deeply promoting the “people-to-people bond” with local countries in the process of carrying out “infrastructure connectivity”.

It is learned that in order to carry out China-Africa talent cooperation plan, CRBC has accumulatively finally aided 251 students from Kenya, Congo-Brazzaville, Senegal, Equatorial Guinea, Angola and Togo.

Liu Hongwei – Director of CCCC Training Center, Mi Jinsheng - editor-in-chief of Communication Construction News and Liang Qingshan – Deputy General Manager of Overseas Business Department were also present.