WUST News (Huang Wei)  Recently, the Ministry of Science and Technology announced the first list of exchange projects between China-Africa partnership institutes. The exchange program of t he Partnership Research Institute in the Field of Green and Low-Carbon Metallurgy between WUST, University of Pretoria in South Africa, and Covenant University in Nigeria was approved. The project leader is Associate Professor Song Shengqiang from the Materials Science Department.    

In order to implement the important directive of building China-Africa Partnership Research Institutes proposed by President Xi Jinping at the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in November 2021, the Ministry of Science and Technology launched the first round of solicitation for China-Africa Partnership Research Institute Exchange Projects in April 2023. A total of more than 500 projects were submitted nationwide, and 10 were finally approved after expert review. WUST is the only approved school in the fields of mineral, metallurgy and materials. The South African government and the Nigerian government have issued special supporting letters for the construction of the partnership institute.

WUST has been attaching great importance to scientific and technological cooperation and exchanges with Africa. In October 2021, WUST signed a cooperation memorandum with the University of Pretoria. In October of this year, at the opening ceremony of the 2023 International Industry-University-Research Cooperation Conference (Jiangxi Session), WUST and the University of Pretoria jointly inaugurated the Joint International Low-Carbon Metallurgy Laboratory. In November of this year, at the 2023 International Industry-University-Research Cooperation Conference (Hubei Session), WUST took the lead in establishing the China-Africa Low-Carbon Metallurgy Research Center. The University of Pretoria, Covenant University, and the Ain Shams University are core participating institutions in this collaboration.

The approval of the first batch of China-Africa Partnership Research Institute Exchange Projects marks another significant milestone in the development of international scientific and technological cooperation at WUST. This achievement reflects WUST's vigorous integration into China's "Belt and Road" Initiative, focusing on WUST's advantages and characteristics, and strengthening international collaborations. This new breakthrough will contribute to the construction of WUST as a world-class institution and empower high-quality development during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period.

A total of 10 China-Africa Partnership Research Institute Exchange Projects were approved nationwide, including the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and other institutions.