Vice Chancellor Leads University Of Ghana Visit To China

 

Vice Chancellor meets with officials of the Confucius Institute

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ernest Aryeetey, who is also the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana (CIUG), has led a team to visit China.  The visit was organized by Dr. Meilian Mei, Chinese Director of CIUG.

While in China, the team visited three cities namely, Beijing, Hangzhou and Shanghai. The first point of call for the Vice Chancellor and his entourage in Beijing was the Confucius Institute Headquarters/Hanban where they were warmly welcomed. The Director and Deputy Director of the African Division of Hanban, Mr. Hu Zhiyuan and Ms. Li Hongyu accompanied the delegation to visit the Culture Centre which operates a combination of traditional culture and new technologies, giving them close contact with Chinese culture.

The visit afforded the Vice Chancellor the opportunity to meet with the Deputy Director General of Hanban Mr. Xia Jianhui during which the Vice Chancellor briefed him on developments taking place at the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana and pointed out the need for an academic building for the CIUG which would require financial support towards the construction. In his response, the Deputy Director General who was impressed with the quick development of CIUG, expressed his appreciation to the Vice Chancellor for the University’s support.  He promised that Hanban would try its best to help University of Ghana apply for the needed funds.

The team also visited the Beijing Language and Culture University and other places of interests and were delighted by Chinese performances given in their honour.

The second stop was the capital city of Zhejiang province-Hangzhou.  Here, the team visited Zhejiang University of Technology (ZJUT), the Chinese co-host of CIUG.  The Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of ZJUT, Prof. Mei Xinlin and Mr. Hua Eetian interacted with the University of Ghana team. The two parties had extensive discussions about the development of CIUG, future academic exchange programmes and cooperation between the two Universities through the CIUG.

The trip to China gave the Vice Chancellor and his team a better understanding of Chinese culture and the ideals of the Confucius Institute.

The Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana was established in 2013 to help teach the Chinese language culture and philosophy as well as promote bilateral relations between Ghana and the People’s Republic of China.  It is hoped that with effective collaboration, the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana will grow to become a dynamic Unit at the University.