Translators: Liang Lu and Fan Siwei
The 2025 China-Africa Automotive Development Forum commenced at Enkuroma University of Science and Technology in Ghana on June 10. Centered on the theme "Intelligent Manufacturing of Lightweight Electric Vehicles", the forum focused on cutting-edge technologies and industry trends in new energy vehicles and smart manufacturing. It explored innovative opportunities, models, and pathways for China-Africa automotive industry collaboration, injecting fresh momentum into advancing high-quality development in engineering education and technological innovation across the sector.
Li Yang, Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Ghana, Wang Xiao, President of our university, Frankamo Akohene, Governor of Ashanti Province, Seth Agbewei Mahhu, Director of the Renewable Energy Division at Ghana's Ministry of Energy and Green Transformation, and Tang Hong, President of the Ghana Chinese Association, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. Over 500 participants attended the event, including representatives from government departments, universities, and enterprises in China, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria, as well as faculty and student representatives from Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
In his speech, Li Yang pointed out that Africa, as a crucial engine for global economic growth, has placed great emphasis on cooperation with China in the industrial sector. In recent years, both sides have achieved remarkable results in areas such as automobile assembly and technical training. China's electric vehicles, with their high quality, low energy consumption, and comprehensive after-sales service, have become the preferred choice for African consumers. The upcoming 2026 "China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges" will open up new opportunities for cultural and educational cooperation between China and Canada. He called on both sides to further pool their wisdom, deepen cooperation across multiple fields, and continue to advance the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future.
Wang Xiao stated that through the Confucius Institute platform, Hubei Automotive Industry College and Nkrumah University of Technology have not only facilitated language and cultural exchanges but also pioneered a distinctive "Chinese + Automotive Technology" collaborative model in the automotive sector. The forum's convening will significantly advance educational exchanges in automotive engineering, contributing to the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future.
Local government leaders and enterprise representatives said that the forum is of great significance to the transformation and upgrading of local industry and sustainable development. With the gradual improvement of policy support and infrastructure, new energy vehicles have a broad development prospect in the local area.
The 2nd China-Africa Automotive Development Forum, co-hosted by our university and Nkrumah University of Technology, brought together 15 Chinese and African scholars and industry experts to deliver 15 academic presentations under the themes of "Smart Manufacturing" and "Green Mobility". The discussions covered cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence and quantum information in automotive inspection and electronic design, along with critical technologies like lightweight materials, battery remanufacturing, and mold steel production. Practical issues such as new energy vehicle standards, grid coordination, and industry-academia-research collaboration mechanisms were also addressed. During the event, an auto exhibition featuring eight Chinese and Canadian automakers drew significant attention from attendees.
Professor Xiong Yongchen, Dean of the School of Optoelectronic Engineering; Professor Wang Chen, Dean of the School of New Energy; Professor Dong Yanzhang, Dean of the School of Automotive Intelligent Manufacturing; Associate Professor Liu Feng, Dean of the School of Automotive Materials; and Associate Professor Zhou Yuan, Dean of the School of Artificial Intelligence formed an academic delegation invited to attend the conference and deliver presentations. The delegation focused on topics including surface defect detection in new energy vehicle components, topological optimization-based negative Poisson's ratio metamaterial energy-absorbing structure design, development and application of steel for hot forging molds in new energy vehicles, strong molecular magnetism correlation effects and quantum transport (next-generation automotive microelectronic component design), and enhanced single-quantum coupling for solid-state spin-based quantum information processing. They also engaged in discussions with faculty and students present at the event.
The forum has received extensive attention and coverage from Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Television and well-known media in Ghana, which has further enhanced its influence and created a good atmosphere for the cooperation and development of the automotive industry between China and Africa.(Reviewed by Su Zibo)
