Djibouti education minister seeks deeper Luban Workshop cooperation at Tianjin college

As the 10th Luban Workshop anniversary draws near, Djibouti's Minister of National Education and Vocational Training, Moustapha Mohamed Mahamoud expressed willingness for further cooperation when he visited Tianjin Railway Technical and Vocational College last week.

Mahamoud described Djibouti's relationship with China as being closely cooperative, saying his country had learned from the latter's professional expertise and benefited from its shared experiences. "It is in this regard that we hope to strengthen and deepen our cooperation further," he said.

The Luban Workshop is an international cooperation initiative for vocational education launched by the city of Tianjin. The program has established 38 workshops across 32 countries that have trained more than 30,000 degree students and over 160,000 non-degree learners, according to Tianjin authorities.

The first Luban Workshop in Africa was inaugurated in Djibouti in 2019. It was co-established by Tianjin Railway Technical and Vocational College, Tianjin First Commercial School, Djibouti Industrial and Commercial School, and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.

Under the framework of China-Africa cooperation, the Djibouti Luban Workshop offers academic specializations in railway engineering technology, rail transport operations management, logistics management, and international trade. As of the end of last year, the Djibouti program had trained 335 students and over 270 instructors, in addition to providing training to numerous employees of the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway.

Ibrahim Ismael Ali, an inspector specializing in civil and railway projects at the Djibouti Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training, highlighted the workshop's role in fostering technical expertise. "Thanks to the long-term collaboration with the Luban Workshop, Djibouti's young generation now possesses the skills and capabilities required to engage in large-scale infrastructure and civil engineering projects," he said.

Under the influence of the workshop, Djibouti's railway engineering technology program has evolved from a single focus on line maintenance to the cultivation of versatile professionals skilled in civil engineering and topographical surveying. New courses, including reinforced concrete experiments, materials testing, advanced AutoCAD modeling, and digital drafting, have been added to the curriculum, according to Tianjin Railway Technical and Vocational College.

Last month, 10 trainees from Djibouti completed a 109-day rail transport training program in Tianjin. They have since progressed to study at Tianjin Sino-German University of Applied Sciences as part of an initiative to nurture local backbone faculty members for Djibouti's vocational education system.

"Djiboutian youth, after receiving training at the Luban Workshop, are now capable of imparting China's technical expertise to society in Djibouti, better contributing to the country's economic and social development," Minister Moustapha said.

Looking ahead, Djibouti hopes to expand the scope of its Luban Workshop collaboration to include fields like renewable energy, modern logistics, industrialization, robotics, digital technology, and mechatronics—key sectors that align with the nation's developmental priorities, the minister said.

"During my year of study in China, I learned so much," said Abdoul-Majid Mahamad Hussein, a graduate of the Djibouti Luban Workshop. "The excellent and mature Chinese vocational education system has equipped me with skills and cultural knowledge that I can now pass on to more people in Djibouti."

Hu Yang and Jiang Jie contributed to this story.