Hunan Daily‘s special feature “Friends and Partners” highlights China-Ethiopia cooperation in the water industry
By Wang Weiwei, Hunan Daily
From September 4 to 6, the 2024 Summit of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held in Beijing. Prior to the summit, Hunan Daily Press sent a reporting team to Ethiopia to conduct interviews for the “Friends and Partners” series, with the aim of understanding the outcomes of the agricultural vocational education training program between China and Ethiopia.
On September 4, Hunan Daily published an in-depth report titled “We Are Now Eating Our Own Tilapia,” along with accompanying photos and videos, which tell the story of He Wang, a researcher from the Hunan Fisheries Science Institute, and her efforts to help Ethiopia develop its aquaculture industry.
In June 2001, the first phase of the Chinese-funded agricultural vocational education training program in Ethiopia was launched. Since 2003, He Wang has traveled to Ethiopia 10 times to teach fish farming techniques, supporting the development of the local aquaculture industry.
At the end of 2013, He Wang arrived at the Alage ATVET College.
To the surprise of the college staff, this Chinese female teacher, who kept repeating “Let me try,” achieved remarkable things in this wilderness-like campus.
First and foremost, she led workers and students to build 16 fish ponds using the most basic methods. Dean Kebede Beyecha admitted that He Wang helped the college establish the first aquaculture demonstration base in Ethiopia’s education system.
Moreover, He Wang, along with Chinese and Ethiopian teachers, spent two years writing Ethiopia’s first textbook on aquaculture, Fish Production.
While inspiring more Ethiopian youth to develop a passion for aquaculture, He Wang also helped farmers build fish ponds to expand income channels.
One sentence from the Dean left a deep impression on He Wang: “Thanks to you and the Chinese fishery experts, our school has built a scientific system for aquaculture education, saving Ethiopia 10 to 20 years in its fishery development process.”
Since 2001, the Chinese-funded agricultural vocational education training program in Ethiopia has completed 23 semesters. A total of 542 Chinese teachers were sent to Ethiopia. This program has trained more than 70,000 students, teachers, technicians, and farmers, and established a relatively comprehensive agricultural vocational education system and talent pipeline, laying a solid foundation for the development of Ethiopia’s vocational education sector.
In the span of more than 20 years, the stories of Chinese teachers and Ethiopia have been woven into the ongoing symphony of the Belt and Road Initiative, ever fresh and enduring.
