NAIROBI, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- African youth have been honored in a technical skills contest funded by China's AVIC International Holding Corporation.
The sixth edition of the Africa Tech Challenge (ATC) was held in Nairobi and drew participants from across eight African countries. All 48 students and 16 advisors have shown dedication to the five-week CNC (Computer Numerical Control) Lathe training and had a fierce two-day CNC Lathe contest.
During the closing ceremony of ATC on Thursday evening, two institutions from Kenya and Tanzania signed manufacturing contracts worth about 10 million shillings (about 100,000 U.S. dollars) with AVIC International to export made-in-Africa parts to China while three students won full scholarships to study in China.
Zhao Xiyuan, minister counselor, at the Chinese embassy in Kenya said that the ATC program is an example of technology transfer between Kenya and China and is of common interest to both countries.
Zhao said that the program serves as platform for youth to be empowered and master advanced skills to enable them get jobs. The beneficiaries of the ATC are expected to better serve the needs of their local communities as well as play a role in the industrialization of Kenya.
The ATC is a corporate social responsibility project sponsored by AVIC International Holding Corporation in collaboration with the ministry of education of Kenya.
Kevit Desai, principal secretary in ministry of education said,"It is an annual youth empowerment program which is in the form of technical and vocational skills development training and contest."
He revealed that the annual skills competition will improve the youth's productivity levels and thus spearhead industrialization in their various African economies.
"The main objective of ATC is to empower the youth by upgrading their technical and information technology skills to high professional skills that will enable them to get internships and jobs as we decrease the huge unemployment rate facing Kenyans," he added.
Jin Shaohua, senior specialist of international business and management department of AVIC gave a data of the ATC during the ceremony. Over the six years from 2014-2019, eight countries, 203 institutes, and 701 contestants have benefited from ATC.
Jin said, "I can proudly say that all participants have mastered primary CNC knowledge, which is the basic specialty of industrialization development in each country. "
He said ATC's aspirations are to give back to Africa, to benefit the young people of Africa, as well as to provide the African youth with the possibility of change.
