Narrative
Full Description
Project narrative
On December 10, 2021, Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zheng Zhuqiang and Ugandan Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Ellioda Tumwesije jointly hosted the unveiling ceremony of the Luban Workshop, an educational program dedicated to teaching Uganda's youth new technological and vocational skills. This workshop was funded in part by the Tiantang Group and is based at Uganda Technical College Elgon. The goal of the workshop is to bridge technical and educational gaps between Uganda and China, train youths for the high demands of the global market, and help to accelerate industrialization within Uganda. This program will have a practical training base located at the Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park (also funded by the Tiantang Group; see Record ID#88236) and will offer courses in mechatronics innovation, intelligent application technology, continuous casting technology, electrical control, steel making, refining, metallurgy, and more to 400 students annually. This is one of ten Luban Workshops constructed in Africa by China as part of commitments promised by China at the 2018 Beijing Summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum. Tianjin Polytechnic University provides instruction at the workshop. At the unveiling ceremony, an unspecified Chinese organization donated supplies to the workshop.
Staff comments
1. The 2018 Beijing Summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum was held September 3-4, 2018; therefore the commitment date has been estimated as such. 2. Luban Workshop (鲁班工坊) is a technical assistance program started by Tianjin's Vocational Institute in BRI countries. While it is an important Chinese foreign policy objective, the workshop is not funded through a specific fund or a government entity. Instead, it is heavily dependent on each project. While the Chinese government may directly fund some projects, Chinese SOEs or the specific vocational schools in Tianjin may fund others. As a result, AidData assumes an unspecified Chinese government agency has funded the project. For more information, please consult: https://www.tj.gov.cn/zwgk/szfwj/tjsrmzfbgt/202005/t20200519_2370529.html?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template and http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/s5147/202112/t20211202_584025.html