On October 9~10, the four-person delegation led by Teye Gabriel Ayum, Executive President of Ghana University for Development Studies, paid a visit to SHOU. Vice President Li Jiale and the principals of related functional departments and colleges warmly received our guests. The two sides held friendly talks about the academic exchange between the two universities, the joint training of talents, etc.
Li Jiale introduced the century-old history, preponderant disciplines, Tilapia culture research history and prominent achievements of SHOU to our guests, and expressed the hope of taking this opportunity to launch the Sino-African cooperation of “Tilapia Back to Hometown”. President Teye Gabriel Ayum expressed the hope to launch in-depth talent cultivation and scientific research cooperation with SHOU in Tilapia culture, food science and other fields, and to cultivate first-class outstanding talents for Ghana in the aquatic field, as this would not only promote the development of Ghana University for Development Studies but also contribute to the improvement of aquaculture productivity in Ghana.
During the visit, the delegation of Ghana University for Development Studies talked over with the College of Fisheries and Life Science and the College of Food Science and Technology about the talent cultivation programs for undergraduate and graduate students, engaged in in-depth course docking and cultivation program discussions about the “2+2” cooperation program for cultivating undergraduate aquaculture majors, completed the establishment of cultivation program, and prepared the implementation plan. According to the double-degree cooperation agreement between the two sides, SHOU will welcome the juniors of Ghana University for Development Studies for two-year study.
The delegation also engaged in in-depth communication with the team led by professor Zhao Jinliang of the College of Fisheries and Life Science regarding Tilapia research, and expressed the hope to launch the cooperation and jointly promote the further development of Tilapia research. After that, the delegation visited related research rooms of the College of Fisheries and Life Science, the Recirculating Aquaculture Technology and Engineering Research Center and the Tilapia fishery. In addition, the delegation met with Ghananian students studying in SHOU, and visited the living facilities of international students.
Founded in 1992, Ghana University for Development Studies is a public university that ranks the fifth place in Ghana and is composed of 12 colleges and one graduate school. Doctor Ayisi Larbi Christian, who once received training in SHOU and is now working at Ghana University for Development Studies, acted as a go-between for the cooperation between the two universities during his study in SHOU. After several rounds of communication and negotiation in two years, SHOU and Ghana University for Development Studies entered into a friendly-university relationship in 2018, and signed a cooperation program agreement regarding Tilapia culture research. At present, four graduates from Ghana University for Development Studies are studying for Master and Doctoral degrees at SHOU.