As Africa strives to tackle rising development challenges, a senior United Nations official has described China as "a true partner "in the continent's journey toward modernization, highlighting the growing importance of China-Africa cooperation in technical and vocational education.

Education remains one of the most pressing challenges across Africa, with more than 100 million school-age children still out of school, said Gilles Fagninou, regional director for West and Central Africa at the UN Children's Fund, in an exclusive interview with China Daily.

Fagninou noted that China's development experience provides it a unique edge as a partner.

"In the past, China also went through those difficulties and has been able to overcome them," he said. "The experience that China has is something that African countries want to learn from."

Fagninou emphasized that educational cooperation between China and Africa is "extremely useful and important", as it helps broaden learning options — such as technical, professional and vocational studies — for African youth, enabling them to acquire practical skills and improve their prospects in regions where access to education and jobs remains uneven.

During a recent visit to Jinhua University of Vocational Technology in East China's Zhejiang province, Fagninou met Chinese and African students taking part in training programs.

"These African students will return home to give back and continue people-to-people exchanges, so that educational challenges can be addressed in several African countries," he said.

Local official data showed that more than 20 universities in Zhejiang have established interschool partnerships with African institutions. In Jinhua, the city has offered educational opportunities to more than 15,000 African students over the years.

Tailored approach

Fagninou added that bringing African representatives to China to exchange insights with communities, authorities and educators helps them better understand how China has addressed issues of access and quality in education, particularly through digitalization and innovation.

China's partnership approach "respects local realities" and adapts to each country's needs, rather than imposing a "one-size-fits-all approach", he said.

Through digital innovation, he noted, China-Africa cooperation is expanding access to quality education, "bringing more and more children into learning who, without this partnership, wouldn't have access to education".

Such efforts form a vital part of South-South cooperation, Fagninou said, and he emphasized that China's contribution to advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals in Africa is "very visible".

At the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China announced 10 partnership action plans to support the continent's modernization drive. In terms of people-to-people exchanges, China pledged to establish an engineering technology academy and build 10 Luban Workshops in Africa, offering about 60,000 training opportunities, mainly for women and young people.

Broad aspects

Looking ahead, Fagninou said that there are broad prospects for deepening collaboration on youth employment between China and African nations. "We are now working to create regional centers of excellence in many African countries. This will help us draw innovation from China," he said.

He also revealed that several pilot countries have been selected to develop vocational programs that can later be scaled up across the continent, providing more opportunities for young people and helping them overcome job market challenges.

"When you have vocational or professional study, it helps you to have access very quickly to the job market," he said. "It also brings a lot of others to pursue education, because they can see that when you are educated, you get opportunities that help you build your life, your community, your country and the continent."

zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn