On the morning of November 18, the grand launching ceremony of North Africa-China Hebei Universities Consortium was held at YSU in Qinhuangdao City of China. Representatives from 33 Chinese and foreign colleges, universities and associations attended the ceremony. Zhao Dingxuan, President of YSU, Gouda Kamel Abdelbary Ali Helal, President of Heliopolis University in Egypt, and Chen Lu, Secretary-General of Sino-North Africa Education Innovation Association were present and gave remarks. Lu Jun, Director of YSU Office of International Cooperation, presided over the launching ceremony.
Group photo
The following guests also showed up at the event, including Tricha Loubna, Director General of the Office of Vocational Training and Employment Promotion of the Kingdom of Morocco; El Wardi Youssef, Director of Agadir Technical Training Academy in Morocco; Karim Mohamed Mahmoud Eldash, Vice President of Benha National University in Egypt; Kenzari Narimane, Vice President of Algerian Higher Business School; Li Yanpo, President of the Hebei Institute of International Business and Economics; Chen Guoqiang, Vice President of YSU; Gao Lei, Vice President of Northeastern University at Qinhuangdao; Jiang Ailin, Vice President of the Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology; Geng Shigang, Vice President of the Hebei University of Environmental Engineering; Zhu Yuchun, Vice President of the Hebei Polytechnic of Building Materials; Lv Jianwei, Vice President of Qinhuangdao Vocational and Technical College; and representatives from 33 Chinese and foreign colleges and universities, such as the Arab University of Sciences in Tunisia and Hebei University in China.
Zhao Dingxuan extended a warm welcome to all guests present. He underscored that YSU has highly valued international exchanges and cooperation and actively responded to China’s “Belt and Road” Initiative (BRI). Zhao stated that YSU has established friendly relations with several colleges and universities in Africa. He also mentioned that YSU was approved to set up the Confucius Institute at Botswana International University of Science and Technology in 2023, achieving a historic breakthrough in substantive cooperation with African colleges and universities. Looking ahead, Zhao emphasized that YSU will strengthen its exchanges and collaboration with higher education institutions in North Africa by leveraging the Consortium and actively utilizing its strengths. He was confident that YSU would play a more significant role in promoting the opening-up of education in Hebei, fostering a global landscape of greater scale, breadth, and depth.
Zhao Dingxuan delivers a speech
Gouda Helal extended his congratulations on the establishment of the Consortium, He stated that the formation of the Consortium exemplifies the strength of global cooperation, and the collaboration between colleges and universities in North Africa and their counterparts in Hebei will mark a significant milestone for academic exchanges, innovation in scientific research, and sharing of ideas. Gouda Helal expressed his sincere anticipation for joint efforts aimed at developing sustainable and innovative solutions to the pressing challenges facing the world.
Gouda Helal
Chen Lu provided an overview of the background and pertinent details regarding the establishment of Sino-North Africa Education Innovation Association. She emphasized that the Association will join hands with all members to contribute to the development of the BRI and the success of the Consortium, and collaborate with both Chinese and foreign partners to explore new pathways for high-quality international education cooperation.
Chen Lu delivers a speech
Later, the signing ceremony and the official launching ceremony of the Consortium took place. Representatives of 33 Chinese and foreign colleges, universities and associations came up to the stage for official signing, including YSU, the Office of Vocational Training and Employment Promotion of the Kingdom of Morocco, and Heliopolis University in Egypt. Representatives of Consortium members pressed the launching buttons, marking the inauguration of the North Africa-China Hebei Universities Consortium.
Signing ceremony
Consortium launching ceremony
Lu Jun then presented a report on the Consortium’s 2025 work plan on behalf of the Chinese Branch of the Secretariat. The plan encompassed “China—Tunisia” Cultural Ambassadors Program, “Study in China” International Education Fair, Morocco International Art Festival, Special Scholarship for International Students to China, scientific research cooperation and academic exchanges.
During the exchange session, representatives of Consortium members took the stage to deliver remarks, introducing their institutions and detailing their intentions for collaboration. The representatives expressed their eagerness for practical cooperation across various domains, such as teaching resources, academic research, and people-to-people exchanges, by leveraging the Consortium and giving play to their strengths.
Initiated by YSU, the Consortium has a Secretariat with the Chinese Branch located at YSU and the foreign branches at Hassan II University of Casablanca in Morocco and the Sino-North Africa Education Innovation Association. So far, the Consortium has brought together 50 colleges and universities from countries including China, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, and Tunisia, with 26 institutions from China and 24 from other countries. The Consortium aims to enhance education cooperation and exchanges between colleges and universities in Hebei Province of China and North Africa, facilitate collaboration between higher education institutions in Hebei Province/North Africa and local outstanding companies, jointly promote education innovation and development, serve the opening-up of China’s education, and contribute to building a community with a shared future for mankind.
