The meeting was held at Conference Room 101 in Mingde Building.

On February 25, Mr. Diaby Kader, President of Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny (INP-HB), led a delegation to visit Shenzhen Polytechnic University (SZPU). Party Secretary Yang Xinbin met with the delegation at Conference Room 101 in Mingde Building for productive discussions, reaching multiple agreements. The visiting delegation included heads of the School of Digitalization and Information Security, the School of Production, and the Department of European, African, and Asian Cooperation and Development. Representatives from SZPU’s School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, School of Construction Engineering, School of Food and Drug, School of Management, School of Artificial Intelligence, and the Office of International Exchange and Cooperation also participated in the meeting.

During the discussion, Yang Xinbin extended a warm welcome to the leadership of INP-HB, introducing SZPU’s approach to integrating technological innovation with industrial productivity, as well as its achievements in faculty development, curriculum design, and teaching methodologies. He highly praised the efforts and achievements of the “China-Africa Class” students from INP-HB studying at SZPU. Yang also highlighted that SZPU has developed tailored course training packages to meet the needs of “China-Africa Class” students and has organized various extracurricular activities to enhance their overall competencies. He emphasized that youth development is the key to a nation’s future and expressed hope that the students studying at SZPU would contribute their wisdom and efforts to Côte d’Ivoire’s technological progress, economic development, and the long-standing friendship between China and Côte d’Ivoire.

In response, Diaby Kader expressed his gratitude for SZPU’s support, marking this as his second visit following last year’s trip. He shared updates on the first cohort of “China-Africa Class” students after their return home, highlighting their employment and further studies. He also outlined the achievements and five key development directions of INP-HB, which ranks second among French-speaking African institutions. He emphasized the university’s commitment to cultivating applied talents and strengthening cooperation with top international institutions to enhance research capabilities and teaching quality. Diaby proposed expanding the existing collaboration with SZPU in areas such as digitalization, mechanical engineering, information security, and artificial intelligence. Through resource sharing, information exchange, and joint research initiatives, both universities aim to enhance their global competitiveness and contribute to Côte d’Ivoire’s urban and rural development by providing technological support and talent training.

Both sides engaged in in-depth discussions on specific areas of cooperation and reached multiple agreements. These include promoting the accreditation and expansion of the Construction Engineering program by Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Education, jointly establishing an overseas Institute of Engineering and Technology to facilitate China-Africa educational cooperation, supporting AI development and applications, and strengthening collaboration and exchanges in fields such as hospitality management and mechanical and electrical engineering.

At the end of the meeting, both sides exchanged commemorative gifts and took a group photo, marking the successful conclusion of this friendly exchange. This visit further strengthened the partnership between SZPU and INP-HB, paving the way for broader cooperation in education, talent development, and technological innovation.

SZPU hopes that through these initiatives, it will further expand its collaboration with INP-HB, explore new opportunities in education, research, and cultural exchange, and foster mutually beneficial partnerships that drive shared success.

(Chen Yana, Office of International Exchange and Cooperation)