Memorandum of Uderstanding signed between China and Africa
on engineering education cooperation
Co-hosting the International
Federation of Engineering Education Societies (IFEES) 2nd Summitand
American Society for Engineering Education 7th Global Colloquium on
19 October 2008, the African Engineering Education Association (AEEA) led by
its vice president Dr Zola Mbanguta held a meeting with the Chinese delegation
which was led by the Vice Minister of Education Prof Wu Qidi with an aim of
seeking China’s assistance in the development of engineering education in Africa.
The AEEA had recognized China’s
economic dominance of the world which is led by its manufacturing sector which
contributes 40% of that country’s GDP. Behind the success of the manufacturing
sector is engineering education which occupies 34% of the total student higher
education enrolment in China.
In terms of the global production chain, whilst depending on importing raw
materials, its benefitiation process has seen them dominating the world
economy. It should also be borne in mind that China’s president and premier Hu
Jintao and Wen Jiabao respectively are both professional engineers.
The discussions were taken further
in Shanghai, China, two weeks later when
Mbanguta was a part of an ANC delegation that visited China to
celebrate the 10th anniversary of South Africa and China bilateral
relations whilst also promoting relations between the two countries. An
agreement was reached between the SA and Chinese governments on behalf of the
AEEA. The office of President Jacob Zuma led the process and was assisted by
the departments of international relations and cooperation and national
treasury. The programme aims to benefit Africa
as part of SA’s role in the rebirth of the continent.
A 21 AEEA member delegation from all the five African sub-regions
was flown to Beijing, China, for the China-AEEA Research and Study Seminar on Engineering
Education and Project Management for African Countries which started on 26
November to 16 December
2009. The delegation comprised top African engineering education
experts from the continents’ well established and renowned institutions such as
Makerere University of Uganda, University
of Lagos in Nigeria, CairoUniversity
in Egypt,
Durban University of Technology, CDIO Institute For Africa, WalterSisuluUniversity, MarrakechUniversity in Morocco, Zimbabwean National
University of Science and Technology and a host of other great institutions.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce provided the funds and Tsinghua
University Centre for Engineering Education in Beijing hosted the seminar. A series of world
class lectures by top Chinese intellectuals and scholars and visits to special
places of Chinese culture and heritage, including provincial visits, comprised
the seminar programme. The official seminar opening was held on 04 December and
the official closing was also held on 16 December 2009.
Seminar Major Outcome –
MoU Signed
During the course of the seminar, a great spirit of cooperation,
understanding and comradeship developed among both the Chinese and African
participants and at the closing ceremony, Memorandum of Understanding was
signed by the Chinese Tsinghua University Centre for Engineering Education and
AEEA. In the MoU the two parties have agreed, on the basis of equal
partnership, to:
·each appoint five scholars to
form the Tsinghua University-AEEA Cooperation Committee which will set up one
working office at Tsinghua University in Beijing and one working office in
Africa to take charge of the implementation, communication and information
exchange of the Cooperation Committee. The scope of cooperation includes:
1jointly carrying out
research on China-Africa engineering education
2 regularly organizing forums
on China-Africa engineering education
3 jointly publishing research
papers on engineering education
4 promoting technology
transformation and application and
5 exploring the potential
cooperation between Chinese and African engineering
education
institutions and industrial institutions.
6.The parties shall also make use
of Chinese and international assistance programmes to organize the China-AEEA Research and Study Seminar on Engineering
Education and Project Management for African Countries regularly and to
foster more engineers for African countries.
7.The parties shall also
encourage the innovation of cooperation mechanism to achieve mutual benefits
and common developments with the pre-requisite that the cooperation shall not
endanger the security of China
an Africa.
Implementation of the MoU
The AEEA has appointed five scholars on its part to sit on the
China-Africa’s Tsinghua-AEEA Cooperation Committee and they are:
i.Prof Funso Falade, University of Lagos, Nigeria
ii.Dr Zola Mbanguta, CDIO
Institute For Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
iii.Dr Aisa Jadi, The Higher Institute of Engineering, Hoon, Libya
iv.Dr Njunwa Kaena, Dar es Salam
Institute of Technology, Tanzania and
v.Engr Raymond Tachago,
Association of Polytechnics Graduates, Yaounde,
Cameroon
8.The AEEA has appointed my
Pretoria-based CDIO Institute For Africa as its Main Office for the
China-Africa Programme. I founded the CDIO Institute For Africa as a my post
doctoral study and research outcome that I did at the Swedich-based Chalmers
University and Linkoping University from 2002 to 2004. The Institute honours,
remembers and continues with the ideals and visions of the Late ANC Cde Mzwai
Piliso and permission to name the Institute after Cde Piliso was sought from
the Office of Ex-President Thabo Mbeki and Piliso Family in Mthatha. As Chair
of SA UNESCO Science Commission from 2005 to 2007, the Institute benchmarked
all SA science, engineering and technology programmes to the UNESCO
international standards by appointing and empowering UNESCO International
Scientific Programmes; in partnerships with UNESCO Canada, it began sending top
SA mathematics and science Grade 11-12 students to an International Top 100
Science Symposium in Canada through the Minister of Science and Technology
funding; and co-founded the AEEA for a common engineering education curriculum
objective in Africa which was hailed by UNESCO as a possible vision for the
reforms of the world engineering education curriculum. The CDIO Institute For
Africa is the sit of the AEEA’s daily operations.
9.The China Government has
confirmed that it will be funding the next AEEA group for the 2010 seminar in China and
10.The China Government has
confirmed that it is working on funding African young students to study
bachelors, masters, doctoral and post doctoral degrees in China from
2010.
11.The AEEA is establishing an
African Engineering Deans Council which will primarily uniformise the
accreditation process of engineering education in Africa
as a step towards a single common curriculum. In this process, that also
includes the expansion of engineering education programmes in Africa,
a proposal has been submitted to China through the SA government for
the construction of a regional engineering education centre of excellence.
In support of President Jacob Zuma in honouring the Great ANC
Leaders, this programme honours the Late Cde Mzwandile Piliso, the ANC Chief
Spy.
