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By Saby Elemba, Owerri
The Imo-China Centre in collaboration with the Imo-Tianjin Investment and Trade Centre limited has concluded arrangements to bring the China Sawich Education Exchange programme in Nigeria on the One- Belt-One Road programme.
It is a study where students will have the opportunity to study and work in China.
Sawich programme is also a form of poverty alleviation programme that allows the middle class and the low class students in Africa to be able to gain admission and school in China and be able to obtain both technical and vocational training as well as get jobs in China through the Sawich process.
Oduenyi Christopher Igwe, president of the Imo-China Business Council (ICBC) as well as the managing director (MD) of Imo-China Centre has disclosed, saying, that there is a scholarship programme attached with the scheme which would be awarded to some students on merit through pre-qualifying examinations.
Oduenyi said the tuition and residential fees are reduced by 30 per cent for a number of those who did not pass the qualifying scholarship examination. He further opined that the programme allows exchange of degree and certificate programmes between the Universities in Nigeria and the Universities in China.
He noted further that students who are studying under Sawich programme in Nigeria may wish to do some years in Nigeria within the accredited/partner Universities and then travel to China to finish their studies.
The programme, according to him comes with industrial development as well as trade programme under the recently formed Nigerian-Hunan Investment and Trade Forum, stating that the Forum is a bilateral organisation that brings States in Nigeria and Hunan Province of China together to discuss investments and other economic win-win programmes.
To this end, the government of Hunan Province in China through Sawich, has extended hands of cooperation to the Imo State government where the project is domiciled as well as other States in Nigeria and therefore, calls on several Universities across Nigeria as well as States to partner with the Imo-Tianjin Investment and Trade Centre ltd-the Sawich- Nigeria programme managers, as the programme is aimed at helping developing countries in the world, especially Nigerians.
Consequently, “we call on students across Nigeria who want to study in China to take advantage of this programme” to further their education, Igwe said.
He however said that going forward, Sawich-Nigeria wiil be appointing zonal co-ordinators through the establishment of a technical board chaired by Dr. Christian Egbuche, PhD, an Associate Professor from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, and eminent professors and renowned scholars across Nigeria that will be coordinating and overseeing the development and successful implementation of the Sawich programme in the different zones of the country.