On the 20th of August, the Chinese Embassy in Ghana held the 2018 Chinese Government Scholarship Award Ceremony and a briefing on the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Nearly 200 people attended the event including Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Shi Ting Wang, Mr. Enoch Cobbinah, Chief Director of the Ministry of Education on behalf of Minister of Education in Ghana, Hon. Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh, Mr. Kingsley Agyemang, Registrar of the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat, Dr. Mei Meilian, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana, Ghanaian students who are going to study in China and journalists from Ghana News Agency, Daily Graphic, Ghanaian Times and Business & Financial Times. The Political Counselor Mr. Jiang Zhou Teng and the Economic Counselor Mr. Chai Zhi Jing of the Chinese Embassy also attended the ceremony.
Ambassador Shi Ting Wang warmly congratulated the awardees of the 2018 Chinese Government scholarship and introduced the fruitful results of the exchanges and cooperation between China and Ghana on the educational sector. Ambassador Wang said that there are 1076 Ghanaian students who have won the Chinese Government Scholarship, and 6500 Ghanaian students are studying in China, ranking first among all African countries for four consecutive years. Nearly 1,000 Ghanaian professionals were trained in China last year.
Ambassador Wang briefed the audience on the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). He introduced China's foreign policy towards Africa and the achievements of China-Africa cooperation in recent years. He said that this year is the "Big Year" for the development of China-Africa relations. The Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation which will be held in September this year will surely become a new milestone in China-Africa relations. The summit will connect the co-building of Belt and Road Initiative by China and Africa, the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the 2063 Agenda of AU with the development strategies of African countries, roll out new strategies and new measures to strengthen all-round cooperation between China and Africa, and create new opportunities and new horizons for the development of China-Africa Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will attend the Beijing Summit and pay a state visit to China. I firmly believe his visit will yield fruitful results and promote the China-Ghana relations to a new height.
Mr. Enoch Cobbinah, Chief Director of the Ministry of Education read a statement on behalf of the Minister of Education, Hon. Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh. He thanked the Chinese government for its long-term selfless assistance to the development of Ghana. He hoped the Ghanaian students would cherish the opportunity to study in China, grasp professional knowledge and skills, actively learn the history, culture and development experience of China, and return to Ghana as early as possible to help Ghana further develop.
Ambassador Wang and Mr. Cobbinah jointly presented the scholarship certificates to the award-winning students. A representative of the scholarship awardees, Mr. Israel Odonkor, sincerely thanked the Chinese government for the scholarships, saying that they would cherish the opportunities and contribute to the promotion of China-Ghana friendship.
The leading media of Ghana fully reported the reception.