On the morning of November 12, the opening ceremony of the China-UN-Habitat (Sub-Saharan Africa) Training Program on Urban Planning and Resilient Infrastructure Construction, organized by the Ministry of Commerce and undertaken by the MOFCOM Training Base for International Business Officials (Shanghai) of SBS, was held at the Caobao Road Campus. Yin Sheng, Head of the UN-Habitat China Office, and Dai Ying, Deputy Dean of the College of International Education and Deputy Director of the MOFCOM Training Base for International Business Officials (Shanghai), attended the opening ceremony.
Guided by the commitment to building a community with a shared future for mankind, this training program aims to provide participants from Sub-Saharan African countries with a platform to gain an in-depth understanding of China’s experiences in urban planning and resilient infrastructure construction. It seeks to deepen exchanges and cooperation in these fields and cultivate more high-quality, specialized talents for countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. The program is set to open a new window of opportunity for achieving complementary advantages and promoting open development between China and the participating African countries, thereby offering new development opportunities to enhance the well-being of their peoples.
Dai Ying pointed out that Shanghai has established a comprehensive framework spanning from functional resilience to systemic resilience. This has been achieved by optimizing spatial layouts and emergency facilities to solidify the engineering foundation, enhancing management recovery capabilities through robust contingency planning and material support systems, and leveraging technological empowerment, including the establishment of an AI risk monitoring and early warning system. She stated that Shanghai provides a reference example for the construction and development of global megacities. She expressed her hope that the participants would cherish this valuable learning opportunity, continuously improve their professional competence and work capabilities, and jointly promote cooperation between their respective countries to a higher level.
(Dai Ying delivering her speech)
Yin Sheng noted that both China and Africa, as important forces of the Global South, face complex challenges related to urbanization, climate change, and development transformation. Precisely for this reason, he emphasized the increased need for knowledge sharing and experience exchange to jointly explore sustainable urban pathways suited to their respective national contexts. He expressed his hope that this training would be an inspiring journey, allowing participants to gain deep insights into China’s practices in urban planning, infrastructure development, and green and smart transitions, while also hoping to hear valuable experiences and perspectives from African cities. He looked forward to this seminar serving as a new starting point for deepening South-South cooperation and collectively building a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable urban future.
(Yin Sheng delivering his speech)
The participant representative, Mr. Amady, Councilor of Saint-Louis, Senegal, Vice-President of the City’s Public Procurement Committee, and Liaison for the UN-Habitat Sustainable and Disaster-Resilient Housing Project in Saint-Louis, pointed out that urban development presents significant opportunities for economic growth, innovation, and modernization in Africa. He also highlighted the serious challenges it brings, including land pressure, difficulties in accessing housing, complex waste management issues, traffic safety, and increasing vulnerability to climate disasters, among others. He stated that this training program holds profound strategic significance, providing participants with an opportunity to acquire the latest knowledge, learn from China’s innovative models in this field, and share the rich and diverse experiences from Africa.
(Participant delivering remarks)
This training program is the final foreign aid training project for 2025 organized by the university’s MOFCOM Training Base for International Business Officials (Shanghai). The program will last for 7 days. The 36 participants are from eight countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Comoros, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Gabon, Mali, and Senegal. The program includes a field visit for participants to Jiaxing City in Zhejiang Province.
Written by: Zhou Dejiang
Photography by: Liu Liu
Reviewed by: Chen Wei
