On November 22 2018, Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Shi Ting Wang paid a courtesy call on Professor Kwasi Obiri-Danso, Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). The two sides exchanged views on China-Ghana relations and cooperation in the field of tertiary education and so on. Ambassador Wang also presented to Prof. Obiri-Danso Xi Jinping: The Governance of China (II).
Ambassador Wang said that he was very delighted to visit the prestigious university named after Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the founding President of the Republic of Ghana. President Nkrumah is the advocator and promoter of Pan-Africanism and has made an immortal contribution
to building a united Africa. He still shines in the history of African development. President Nkrumah is an old friend of the Chinese people. He has created and nurtured the traditional friendship between China and Ghana with Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai and other Chinese leaders of the old generation. In September this year, H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo paid a successful state visit to China and held bilateral talks with H.E. President Xi Jinping and H.E. Premier Li Keqiang respectively. The leaders of the two countries renewed the great friendship between leaders of the older generation and unanimously agreed to continuously infect new vitality and connotations to China-Ghana relations in the new era.
Ambassador Wang emphasized that China-Ghana relations is enjoying sound momentum of development and the cooperation between universities of the two countries is in full swing. Hanban, Confucius Institute Headquarters sent outstanding Chinese teachers to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and helped the school set up the Chinese language courses as well as create Chinese clubs. The ‘Chinese fever’ has been prevalent in Kumasi. China will continue to strengthen cooperation in the teaching of the Chinese language with universities in Ghana, including KNUST, and further enhance the friendly exchanges between the two countries through language, so that the China-Ghana friendship can be passed down from generation to generation.
Prof. Obiri-Danso thanked Ambassador Wang for his visit and stated that President Nkrumah is a banner of both Ghana and Africa. In the 1950s, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was invited to attend the Bandung Conference to discuss issues concerning world peace and development with Asian and African leaders, leaving a story in history. The Ghanaian people are proud of President Nkrumah and the great friendship that he nurtured with China. Presently, China-Ghana relations have entered a new era. The economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has yielded fruitful results. Made in China has become a popular brand in Ghana. Vice-Chancellor Obiri-Danso thanked China for sending Chinese language teachers and scholarships offered by many universities in China to the school. He hopes that the two countries will continue to strengthen educational exchanges and cooperation. He firmly believes that China-Ghana relations will get better and better.
Ambassador Wang presented Xi Jinping: The Governance of China (II) to Prof. Obiri-Danso and introduced China's development achievements, its reforms and opening up policy as well as the ideology of Xi Jinping's new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Vice-Chancellor Obiri-Danso said that President Xi Jinping is one of his most respected world leaders. He studied the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics during a Principal training course at Tsinghua University, the Alma mater of President Xi Jinping. Vice-Chancellor Obiri-Danso stressed that he will seriously study the book by President Xi and learn his thoughts of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. He believes that this will be inspiring for cultivating professionals for the governance of Ghana.
After the meeting, H.E. Ambassador Wang was interviewed by the local media and answered questions on China's development path, reforms and opening up policy, as well as China-Ghana relations and cooperation.
KNUST is located in Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana. It was formerly known as Kumasi College of Technology. It was founded in 1951 by the most influential chief of Ghana, the King of Ashanti. To commemorate the founding President of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the school was renamed Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in 1961. The school's comprehensive strength is strong with about 50,000 enrolled students, ranking 20th in Africa and first in Ghana among universities of science and engineering. It has cultivated a large number of scientific and technological talents for Ghana and for West Africa. Presently, the school has one Chinese language teacher and one Chinese electro-chemistry teacher.