UoN and Tianjin Normal University enter into Partnership during 2024 FOCAC Summit

The University of Nairobi and Tianjin Normal University entered into a collaboration to establish a 'China-Africa Cultural and Civilization Research Center', a center that is to serve all Africa. The Agreement that was signed in China during the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)  on September 3-6, 2024 that was attended by the UoN Vice Chancellor (Ag), Prof. Margaret Jesang Hutchinson.  

Prof. Hutchinson, together with Mr. Hu Zhiping, Deputy Director-General of the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), and Prof. Gong Jinlong, President of Tianjin Normal University (TJNU), inaugurated the Research Center for China-Africa Dialogue among Civilisations. The Centre, under the Faculty of Arts at the University of Nairobi and the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, will focus on research on the exchange and mutual appreciation of African and Chinese cultures and civilisations, the inheritance and dissemination of African and Chinese  languages and cultures, and teacher training, to create a new generation of Chinese and African cultural and educational exchange ambassadors, Chinese and African culture and civilisation inheritors, disseminators and defenders, to encourage more young people to understand the African and Chinese  cultures, and to carry out research on African and Chinese cultural exchange, inheritance, dissemination and cooperation.

The establishment of the research centre is to make full use of the resource advantages of the University of Nairobi as a renowned institution in Africa, and the advantages of Tianjin Normal University in the first-class disciplines of world history, the northern city of China Academy of Ancient Books Conservation, the joint establishment of the International Institute for the Development of Chinese Language Education by the Ministry and the University, and the approval of doctoral degrees in relevant disciplines. The Institute will serve to deepen China-Africa cultural mutual understanding, create an improved version of China-Africa cultural and civilisation exchange and cooperation research and practice, further strengthen China-Africa language and cultural education exchange and cooperation, promote China-Africa youth's language and culture learning, research, inheritance and innovative development, open up new and important cooperation and research and practice avenues of talent cultivation for China-Africa civilisation, It will also integrate the ancient and modern civilisations of China and Africa, Chinese modernisation and history and culture, and meet the growing demand of Chinese and African youth for language and culture learning, research and practice of civilisation exchange and mutual understanding.

The visit marked another milestone in the friendship and cooperation between the University of Nairobi, Centre for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) and Tianjin Normal University.

The Centre that will be established will strengthen the exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and African Civilizations, promote China-Africa friendship, meet the demand for high-level teacher training, and enhance the outstanding influence of the University. The Center will be one of the outcomes of this year’s Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.