Handing over of the New Building of Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi was successfully held

At 10 a.m. on May 29th, local time in Kenya, the official handing over of the New building of Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi successfully held. Prof. George Magoha, CS for Ministry of Education graced the ceremony. Ambassador Wu Peng, Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China, Mr. Ma Jianfei, Deputy Chief Executive of the Confucius Institute Headquarters, Prof. Zhong Yinghua, President of Tianjin Normal University attended the handover ceremony through live video conferencing. Dr. Vijoo Rattansi, Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, Prof. Julia Ojiambo, Chair of Council, University of Nairobi, Prof. Stephen Kiama, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, attended the handover ceremony. Xiao Shan, Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, represented the Confucius Institute at the ceremony and delivered a speech.

Prof. Ogeng'o Julius A., Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs of University of Nairobi, presided over the handover ceremony in the auditorium of the new building. On-site and online guests delivered speeches to express their warm congratulations on the successful handover of the new building of the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi and conveyed good wishes for the future of the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi.

Prof. George A.O. Magoha, CS for Ministry of Education, said in his speech “I am pleased to receive this precious gift from the Chinese government in a virtual ceremony which symbolizes the friendship between China and Kenya, and On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Kenya, let me express our gratitude to the government of the Peoples Republic of China for supporting the Construction and equipping of this state of the art facility.” He said that the friendship between China and Kenya is established based on understanding each other's culture, and the Confucius Institute plays an important role in promoting Kenya's development of Chinese language and culture and in promoting China-Kenya friendship. He said “The University of the future is characterized by Internationalization of programs where cross-pollination of ideas is made possible through academic exchanges. This facility will offer the University of Nairobi a rare opportunity for increased students and staff exchanges with Chinese Universities.” Among the beneficiaries of free language training are staff of the University of Nairobi and staff of key government agencies like the National Police Service, Immigration Service, Kenya Revenue Authority, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Kenya Airports Authority. He remarked, “This is not that last big project we are receiving at the University from the friendly government of China. There are many areas where we could still explore great opportunities including collaborative research in pressing global issues like Health, Environment and Climate Change.” With great humility and gratitude, he accepted to receive the landmark infrastructure so that the University can make good use of it.

Ambassador Wu Peng, Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China to Kenya, said in online speech, “China attaches great importance to developing friendship and cooperation with Kenya, especially in the field of education and people-to-people exchange. China has financed many education projects through grants to create good learning conditions and atmosphere for local students.” He was excited to witness the handover of the Confucius Institute Building to the Kenyan Government, which is yet another step forward for China-Kenya cultural and education cooperation. He said, “University of Nairobi is the best University of Kenya, and by the support of the Ministry of Education of Kenya, the Confucius Institute Headquarters and the Tianjin Normal University, University of Nairobi will make the Confucius Institute to be the best Chinese language teaching department in Kenya. China is committed to join hands with the Kenyan government and its people, strengthen all-round cooperation, push towards a closer and brighter shared future of China-Kenya relations. ”

Mr. Ma Jianfei, Deputy Chief Executive of the Confucius Institute Headquarters expressed his warm congratulations on the successful handover of the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi in an online speech, thanking the Kenyan government and the University of Nairobi for their full support and expressing their ability to work together to fight the epidemic. He was incredibly happy to witness this special project together in a special way. He said, “The new building of the Confucius Institute will surely open a new chapter in Chinese language teaching in Kenya, make new contributions to the cultural exchanges between China and Kenya, and become another historical witness to the friendship between China and Kenya.”

Prof. Zhong Yinghua, president of Tianjin Normal University, said in his speech that the development of the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi is a microcosm of educational exchanges between China and Kenya, and is a milestone in the history of educational exchanges between China and Kenya. With the strong support and careful care of the two governments, and the careful guidance of the Confucius Institute headquarters, Tianjin Normal University and the University of Nairobi sincerely cooperate to follow the concept of "Friendship, Cooperation, Development, and Win-Win" to deepen roots in education. Cooperation and exchanges have cultivated batches and batches of people who have devoted themselves to the social and economic construction of Kenya in the past 15 years. They are dedicated to being the builders and guardians of the friendly relations between the two countries and have established a profound friendship with each other. The completion of the new building is not only a new starting point for the development of the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, but also a new achievement in the cooperation between China and Kenya in the field of education. The friendship and cooperation between the peoples of the two countries will develop together hand in hand and compose a beautiful new chapter of the community with a shared future. He wished Dr. Vijoo Rattansi, Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, Prof. Julia Ojiambo, Chair of Council, University of Nairobi, Prof. Stephen Kiama, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, respectively, congratulations, and wished the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi to grow to a higher level.

Finally, Prof. George Magoha, CS for Ministry of Education, and Ambassador Wu Peng, Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China signed the handover certificate, and the handover ceremony for the Chinese Aid construction of the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi was successfully completed.

The guests attending the handover ceremony site, led by Director Xiao Shan and local Chinese teacher Xu Jing, visited the Chinese Culture Exhibition Center, multimedia classroom, speech classroom, dormitory and cafeteria of the new building of the Confucius Institute. The current teaching achievements and future ideas were briefly introduced.

The cost of the project arrangement according to the grant agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation of 10th May 2014 between the two Governments. The Chinese Government provided funds for the design and construction of the above project. The Kenyan government provided land, planning and legal procedures, support to the University of Nairobi. The new building of the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi is located on Arboretum Road in the capital city of Nairobi, Kenya, next to the Chiromo Campus of the University of Nairobi. The new building of the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi includes several areas such as the Chinese Cultural Exhibition Center, teaching area, office area, and living area. Construction started on September 1st, 2017, and was completed on April 5th, 2019. It covers a total area of 6332.8 square meters, an additional teaching use area of 2637.48 square meters, public facilities area of 3078.08 square meters, and dormitory area of 491.25 square meters . The completion of the project has greatly reduced the pressure on the teaching space.

The Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi is the first Confucius Institute in Africa and has been in existence for 15 years since its establishment in December 2005. With the strong support of the Confucius Institute Headquarters and the close cooperation between Tianjin Normal University and University of Nairobi, Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi has achieved fruitful results in the cultivation of local Chinese teachers, the development of Chinese courses, and the establishment of Chinese training programs. CIUON has won the title of "Confucius Institute of the Year" for 7 times and has made positive contributions to enhancing the friendship and understanding between China and Kenya, becoming one of the global model Confucius Institutes. The guests highly praised the teaching facilities and achievements of the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, and said that the new building of the Confucius Institute aided by the Chinese government provided better learning conditions for students who love Chinese learning, and it was a testimony to the friendship between China and Kenya.