Mandarin education in Uganda makes progress

Rebecca Kadaga, speaker of the Ugandan parliament, says in a speech read on her behalf at the graduation that Uganda needs to place itself strategically as China and Africa deepen cooperation, and prepare its personnel in both government and the private sector to be fluent in Chinese

"This is a key way we can strengthen Uganda-China friendship and ably negotiate for better opportunities, especially in trade and investment, social interactions and mutual cooperation," Kadaga says.

Zheng Zhuqiang, China's ambassador to Uganda, says that there is an urgent need to break the language barrier as Uganda deepens its economic ties with China.

"While many Chinese in Uganda can speak English, it is difficult to find a Ugandan who can speak Chinese well," Zheng says.

"To narrow this deficit and cater to Ugandans' needs of learning Chinese, the Chinese government supports both sides in making this training a success."