On May 28, the African Division Contest of the China International College Students' Innovation Competition (2025) officially kicked off. Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU), serving as the organizing institution for the African Division Contest, held a parallel launch ceremony at its campus in Nanjing, while the main venue was set up at Kabarak University in Kenya. Chinese member universities of the "China-Africa 100 Universities Cooperation Plan" joined the event online.
This marks the first time the China International College Students' Innovation Competition, a flagship innovation platform for young talent, has established a dedicated contest in Africa. Kabarak University, NAU's partner institution and Chinese language teaching hub in Kenya, is at the center of this new endeavor.
Professor Henry K. Kiplangat, President of Kabarak University, emphasized in his address that the competition's expansion into Africa, supported by China's Ministry of Education, "strengthens the educational bridge between China and Africa, and ignites a new wave of innovative passion among our youth." Professor Kiplangat highlighted the strategic relationship between Kabarak and NAU, which has grown in recent years through joint efforts in Chinese language studies, agricultural research, and talent development. "We are building a model of intercontinental cooperation that empowers African and Chinese youth to engage in global affairs and joint research," he noted. He also expressed hope that the competition would serve as a platform where young people could bring forth extraordinary creativity and forge enduring China-Africa friendships.
Xu Qing, Director of the Higher Education Division at the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, hailed the African regional launch as a significant step forward for China-Africa cooperation, and a milestone in the global development of student-led innovation. He reaffirmed the department's commitment to supporting NAU in organizing a successful competition.
As a demonstration of how college students' innovation can address both local and global challenges, Yang Hongyi, a PhD candidate from NAU's College of Agriculture shared his stories. As the team leader of "Yi Nong Dao", a gold medal-winning project from the 2024 competition that attracted over 20 million college students from 153 countries and regions, he introduced the project that combined "precision cultivation design, lightweight seedling substrates, and efficient fertilization techniques" into an integrated online-offline service model, addressing persistent issues in rice production such as labor-intensive seedling management and fertilizer waste. Already piloted in 13 provinces including Jiangsu, the technology has increased yields by over 10% on average, boosted farmer incomes, and contributed to greener and more cost-effective farming.
The event also included a comprehensive briefing on the African Division Contest, covering competition requirements, application procedures, event timelines, award policies, and evaluation criteria. According to the schedule, the regional final and on-site defense session round will take place in Kenya on July 25.
【我苏网】NAU brings China's college students' innovation competition to African youth
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