Translator: Zhou Sirui Date: October 8, 2026
News Release (Report by Luo Shiqi, Photos by Li Yifan)
On October 8, a delegation from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana, visited Hubei University of Automotive Technology (HUAT). HUAT hosted an exchange symposium and the 4th Council Meeting of the Confucius Institute at KNUST in the multi-functional conference room on the third floor of the Science and Innovation Exhibition and Exchange Center. Li Tao, President of HUAT; Zhang Hongxia, Vice President; and all council members attended the meeting to strengthen bilateral ties and explore new avenues for cooperation.
The meeting was chaired by Fang Peng, Deputy Director of the International Exchange Office. Vice President Zhang Hongxia delivered a welcome address and extended sincere greetings to the visiting Ghanaian delegation on behalf of the university. She noted that HUAT and KNUST have maintained steady, productive cooperation in Chinese language education, cultural exchange, and the distinctive talent training model of “Chinese + Automotive”. Building on the solid foundation of existing achievements, both sides will further deepen research collaboration, faculty and student exchanges, and joint talent cultivation, striving to set a benchmark for China-Africa university cooperation.
Benjamin Boampong Owusu, Provost of KNUST, delivered an address on behalf of the Ghanaian side. He fully recognized the fruitful outcomes of cooperation between the two universities and expressed KNUST’s readiness to continuously expand inter-university cooperation. Representatives from both sides held in-depth discussions on research collaboration, faculty and student exchanges, Chinese language teaching development, and Confucius Institute development.
The 4th Council Meeting of the Confucius Institute followed. Li Tao, President of HUAT and Chinese Co-Chair of the Confucius Institute Council, pointed out that the Confucius Institute serves as an important platform for young Ghanaians to learn Chinese and experience Chinese culture, as well as a key bridge for disciplinary and industrial cooperation between the two universities. To date, the Confucius Institute has trained a total of 6,000 local students. Its distinctive “Chinese + Automotive” training program has effectively promoted people-to-people exchanges and industrial cooperation in the automotive sector between China and Ghana. He stressed that the council should conduct pragmatic discussions on institutional planning, project expansion, and resource allocation, continuously advance talent training, research innovation and cultural exchanges, and develop the Confucius Institute into a high-quality model for China-Ghana cultural exchange and mutual learning.
Christian Agyare, President of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, joined the meeting and delivered an online speech. The Chinese Director and Foreign Director of the Confucius Institute presented their respective work reports. Participants engaged in thorough discussions on key development priorities, including the preparation of the Chinese Language undergraduate programme, the development of the Belt and Road Joint Laboratory, and the “3+1 / 3+2” bachelor-master integrated training programme, and clarified key work arrangements for the next phase.
This visit and council meeting further consolidated the foundation of cooperation between the two universities. With the Confucius Institute as its core platform, HUAT and KNUST will continue to pursue in-depth, pragmatic cooperation in education, research and culture, and jointly write a new chapter for China-Africa educational exchange and mutual learning.
(Reviewed by Fang Peng)
