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China Opens First Training Courses for African Environmental Officials

Posted on: Friday, 9 September 2005, 09:00 CDT

China opens first training courses for African environmental officials

BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- China started its concrete cooperation with African countries in environmental protection with Thursday's opening here of the first training courses for environmental officials from Africa.

"The opening of the courses marks the beginning of Sino-African cooperation in environmental protection," said Wang Jirong, deputy director of China's State environmental Protection Administration, at the opening ceremony.

Twenty-three officials and experts from 22 African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Ethiopia and Mozambique, participated in the first Workshop on Water Pollution and Water Resources Management for African Countries.

During their 20-day courses, they will study China's national conditions and the country's efforts and technology in controlling water pollution and water resource management. They will also visit sewage treatment plants in east China's Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

"The focus of this training is welcomed and timely as the African region faces enormous challenges in the management of this vital resources," said Sekou Toure, director of the Regional Office for Africa under the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), at the opening ceremony.

Describing it as a follow-up action of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, Toure noted that Sino-African environmental cooperation could be a useful tool to support the African countries to achieve their goals of sustainable management of Africa's deteriorating environmental resources.

"This will be enhanced by China's vast experience and available expertise developed over the years and UNEP's technical contribution," he said.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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