Sino-Kenya Craftsmen Academy launched in Kenya to boost technical training cooperation

NAIROBI, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The Sino-Kenya Craftsmen Academy was launched Thursday in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, to promote cooperation in technical training between the two countries.

The event brought together senior government officials from Kenya as well as a high-level delegation from China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Julius Migos Ogamba, Kenya's cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Education, said that the academy, to be based at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) in Nairobi, was developed in partnership with Inner Mongolia Technical College of Mechanics and Electrics (IMTCME).

"The academy will provide an excellent platform for nurturing diverse talents and skills, and for fostering cutting-edge research and innovation for the challenges that face the world of today," Ogamba said.

He revealed that the academy will promote people-to-people diplomacy as well as advance linkages between academic institutions and industry in both countries.

Wang Jing, deputy director of the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Department of IMTCME, said that since 2009, IMTCME has been working in Kenya on vocational education cooperation and has developed a training model focused on knowledge-sharing, which has achieved solid outcomes.

Benedict Mutua, vice chancellor of TUK, said the academy will enable TUK to develop a bridge between theoretical knowledge and practical application in technical disciplines that offer students an opportunity to become innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders of tomorrow's industries.

Mutua said the academy will not only serve as a training hub but also as a center of excellence, a model of best practices and a launch pad for transformative change across Kenya and the broader region.