African officials, scholars learn urban landscape construction in China

HANGZHOU, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Eighteen officials and scholars from six African countries concluded an urban landscape construction and planning training program in China on Tuesday.

Over the past 14 days, the participants from Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mauritius, Lesotho and Tunisia were trained in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, and Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province.

The training program was hosted by China's Ministry of Commerce and the China National Bamboo Research Center of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Through this training program, African officials and scholars have deepened their understanding of China's urban landscape construction practices and also laid the foundation for promoting exchanges and cooperation between China and Africa in urban landscape development.

"The program is excellent, very educational. We have gained a lot of knowledge that will definitely be important for us. When we go back to Africa, we can think about how to implement what we have learned here," said Tijjani Zakirai Ahmad, deputy director of the forestry department of the Federal Ministry of Environment of Nigeria.

"We have seen so many things -- different cultures, architectural styles and landscape designs that we don't have in Africa. It's all very interesting and valuable," said Ahmad.

"China has advanced technology and has developed large urban areas that we in Mauritius can learn from, even if we have to downscale those ideas to fit our smaller land size," said Humyrah Begum Kurrimbaccus, a housing development official from Mauritius.

"We are very conscious of preserving our natural environment, so this program is incredibly useful," said Kurrimbaccus. "It's teaching us how to integrate our greenery and natural landscapes into urban development, which is crucial for us."