African Engineering Capacity-Building Initiative Launched in Nairobi

The African Engineering Capacity-Building Initiative was officially launched in Nairobi with the joint support of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) on March 17, 2025.

The ceremony was attended by nearly 200 representatives from the global engineering community, including government officials, academics, industry leaders, and researchers.

He Junke, Executive President and Chief Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the CAST, Mustafa Shehu, President of the WFEO, Joseph Mbugua, Principal Secretary for the State Department of Roads of Kenya, and Gong Ke, former President of the WFEO and leader of the African Initiative Task Force, attended the launch ceremony and delivered speeches respectively.

In his address, He Junke emphasized the importance of engineering capacity-building for China and Africa as they navigate the dual challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and green transformation.

He stressed that engineering capabilities are crucial for both regions to achieve modernization and expressed CAST's commitment to being a long-term partner and staunch supporter of the initiative.

He hoped that the initiative will play a positive role in cultivating engineering talent, addressing common challenges, and promoting people-to-people bonds, contributing to the open and cooperative China-Africa partnership and the building of an All-Weather China-Africa Community with a Shared Future for the New Era.

Mustafa Shehu expressed gratitude to the CAST for its support. He highlighted that the progress of the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa has been relatively slow. The African Engineering Capacity-Building Initiative, as a key component of the United Nations' International Decade of Science for Sustainable Development (IDSSD), aims to bridge the technological divide between countries and find localized solutions for development. He called for collective support from all sides.

The event also saw the signing of a Memorandum of Intent between the CAST and the WFEO to formalize their cooperation on the initiative. Additionally, the Chinese Society of Engineers (CSE) signed Memorandums of Understanding with the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) and the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) to further strengthen cooperation.

Tag: Department of International Affairs of CAST