The Chinese Embassy in Ghana has recognized 300 Ghanaian students for their excellence in studying the Chinese language and culture at an event in Accra.
The event, known as the “Chinese Ambassador’s Awards Ceremony,” involved the students receiving an undisclosed monetary reward for their outstanding performances in Chinese examinations.
Mr. Tong Defa, the Ambassador of China to Ghana, stated that the initiative aimed to invigorate educational and cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and Ghana.
He noted that by the end of 2023, over 85 countries had integrated Chinese language into their national education systems, with more than 180 countries teaching Chinese worldwide.
“More than 30 million people outside of China are learning Chinese, and a total of nearly 200 million people have learnt or used Chinese.
“This year coincides with the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Confucius Institute. Up to now, 496 Confucius institutes and 757 Confucius classrooms in 160 countries and regions have been established,” he said.
The students recognized at the ceremony were from the three Confucius Institutes located at the University of Ghana, the University of Cape Coast (UCC), and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), as well as selected basic schools.
Since 2017, the Chinese Embassy in Ghana has organized the Chinese Bridge-Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students and annual International Chinese Language Day activities.
These initiatives aim to encourage Ghanaian students to learn Chinese and strengthen the friendship between Ghana and China.
The Ambassador noted that three Confucius Institutes had been established in Ghana, currently enrolling 15,000 students and providing Chinese language instruction to over 150,000 students in total.
He said that in 2024, the Chinese Embassy issued more than 600 study visas to Ghanaian students, with about 300 receiving Chinese Government Scholarships and over 4,600 Ghanaian students studying in China.
In September, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo attended the FOCAC Beijing Summit, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders jointly announced the elevation of China-Ghana relations to a strategic partnership, marking a new era in their bilateral relations.
Ambassador Tong announced that in the coming years, both countries will collaborate to implement the key agreements made by the two Presidents and enhance practical cooperation across various sectors, particularly in people-to-people exchanges.
“Learning Chinese will bring you more opportunities in the future. We will surely see a lot of you become civilian ambassadors of Ghana to China and contribute to deepening our bilateral relations,” he said.
Ambassador Tong commended the teachers and volunteers at the Confucius Institutes for their contributions to Chinese language education and cultural promotion.
He acknowledged the students for their achievements, encouraging them to work harder to achieve better results and to meet the high expectations in their educational journeys.
Mr. Stanley Barning, a final-year linguistics student at KNUST, said that studying Chinese had broadened his knowledge by exposing him to different sound pronunciations.
Ms. Lilian Ama Serwa Tobias, a UCC graduate in Communication Design, noted that learning Chinese would create job opportunities in Chinese companies operating in Ghana.
Mary Effah Boateng, a third-year student at the University of Ghana studying Health Sciences and Chinese, mentioned that the language skills would allow her to work as a part-time translator, helping her earn money while in school.
Source: GNA
