Zambian university experts hail China's support

LUSAKA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- China's support to various development efforts in Zambia needs to be commended because the support is making an impact on the southern African nation's developments, experts from Zambia's biggest university have said.

The experts believe that the support from China is well-intentioned and meant to uplift the country's economic prospects.

Bentry Nkhata, Dean of Students in the School of Education at the University of Zambia (UNZA), said the support and impact are evident in the economy.

He said the cooperation with China helps equip teachers with more skills.

He further commended China for providing scholarships to Zambian students to study in Chinese universities, a situation he said has resulted in the accumulation of skills being used for the development of the country.

Michael Mulenga, Dean of Students in the School of Engineering, said the department has seen cooperation with Chinese experts in terms of exchanges.

He said Chinese engineers were attached to the department for a period of five years where they imparted valuable skills to students.

"Not only that, I think we have a number of lecturers trained in China. So we are benefiting a lot in terms of sending people to China. We do have scholarships as well," he said.

According to him, the long-lasting relationship with China needs to be commended because it is helping Zambia through technical and financial support.

Sande Ngalande, Director of the Confucius Institute at UNZA, said China's support should not be undervalued as it is evident in various sectors.

He said the amount of investment by Chinese enterprises has helped in uplifting the standard of the manufacturing base which Zambia has been crying for over the years.

The investment, he said, has not only resulted in job creation but also in addition of value to the country's raw materials because some Chinese firms are using local materials.

China on Friday handed over 50,000 face masks to the University of Zambia to help the institution in the fight against COVID-19.