In order to promote international cooperation in agricultural science and technology and assist African countries with the cultivation of agricultural talent, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) has been entrusted by the Taiwan Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to host a 3rd installment of its Intensive Training Course for African Elites . The opening ceremony was held on the morning of July 7, 2025 at the Howard Plaza Hotel in Taipei to mark the official start of the three-week course. This year’s participants come from five countries, including the Kingdom of Eswatini, the Republic of Somaliland, the Ivory Coast, Nigeria and the Republic of South Africa. A total of 28 elites in the agricultural field were recommended for participation by various embassies in Africa, and the roster includes government officials of agriculture, university teachers, self-employed farm operators and extension personnel.
The opening ceremony was attended by Director Yu-Huey Yang of the Ministry of Education Department of Technological and Vocational Education, Counselor Chen Chi-Chia of the Department of West Asian and African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Director General Rose Dong-Chong Hsiou of the MOA Department of International Affairs, Mr. Abdiqani Muse, the head of Public Diplomacy in Somaliland’s Representative Office in Taiwan, and President Chin-Lung Chang of NPUST. Together they marked a new milestone for Taiwan’s agricultural education diplomacy.
President Chin-Lung Chang thanked the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their continued support and for affirming NPUST’s expertise in agricultural technology and international education. He emphasized that the “participants of the training program will be learning practical agricultural techniques, while they experience Taiwanese culture and foster strong international friendships. Upon their return from Taiwan, they will serve as important bridges for promoting local agricultural and animal husbandry development in their home countries and collaborating with technical delegations from Taiwan”.
The faculty members providing the instruction during the training course come from the Department of Plant Medicine, Department of Animal Science, Department of Plant Industry, Department of Tropical Agriculture and International Cooperation, and the General Research Service Center. With focus given to “sustainable and smart agriculture”, the course was designed based on the actual needs of African agriculture and animal husbandry, covering a variety of subjects such as soil health and fertilization, pest and disease control, animal and plant production management, and livestock housing design. Practical courses on-campus and off-campus visits to the agricultural and animal husbandry industries are included in the schedule along with lectures by industry experts and special presentations from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Taiwan ICDF.
Through the program which was first offered in 2023, NPUST has trained participants from numerous African countries and has received very positive feedback for the results. Leveraging its solid foundation in agricultural technology and its extensive experience in international cooperation, NPUST has continuously excelled in talent development while also shining in the arena of international agricultural diplomacy. This training program will help cultivate the practical skills agricultural professionals from Africa through on-site exchanges and knowledge transfer, and it will open up further possibilities for future bilateral agricultural technology cooperation, industrial partnerships, and business matchmaking.
