New Scholarships, University Research Coalition Launched at Chinese-African Forum

To watch the Chinese-African Higher Education Forum, click here.

New scholarships for 50 Egyptian and 50 African students as well as a Coalition of University Research Excellence are the major highlights of the Chinese-African Higher Education Forum held at AUC at part of its yearlong centennial celebration and in light of the Year of Education initiative in Egypt and the country’s presidency of the African Union.

The scholarships are funded by AUC Trustee Moataz Al Alfi, chairman of the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation and longtime supporter of AUC. “I am committed to development in Africa and Egypt,” said Al Alfi.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between AUC, Egyptian-Japanese University for Science and Technology, Nile University, and Zewail City for Science and Technology to establish the Coalition of University Research Excellence in Egypt. The coalition will enhance the quality and level of integration in joint academic research among the four universities.

"I'd like to congratulate AUC for celebrating 100 years in Egypt — a century of education and of supporting the government of Egypt in generating qualified and skilled graduates,” said Egypt's Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel Ghaffar. “It is also a good opportunity to hold this celebration in coordination with the Chinese and African universities, which is a very good sign for the strong relations between Africa and China. …. We recognize the significant importance of education and its critical role to build skilled human capital and promote sustainable development. Therefore, Egypt is investing nearly 4% of the GDP in education and nearly 1% on science, technology and innovation.”

The two-day forum focused on strategic priorities for higher education in China and Africa in order to identify areas for university collaboration, particularly in science and technology, innovation, exchange programs, research mobility and culture. The event covered a wide range of topics on higher education, from Chinese-African strategic cooperation and the impact of universities on diplomacy and trade to the internationalization of higher education in today's digital world as well as technology and knowledge transfer in higher education for Sustainable Development Goals.

The forum was attended by leaders of more than 20 Chinese, African and Egyptian universities as well as 200 notable guests from leading Egyptian educational institutions. In addition to Abdel Ghaffar, keynote figures included Ambassador Mohamed Talaat, Egypt’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, and Han Bing, counselor for economic and commercial affairs at the Chinese Embassy in Cairo.

President Ricciardone emphasized that AUC welcomes African, Chinese and Asian students as part of its international student body and is committed to lifelong and experiential learning for all students. “We have 100 years of history serving Egypt, the region and the world as Egypt’s global University, as a crossroad and a forum for ideas, for people who do research, study and learn together — not only for the sake of learning, but to address the problems of the world," he said.