Egerton University and China’s Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU) have renewed their long-standing partnership, reaffirming their shared commitment to joint research, academic collaboration, and sustainable development.
The renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which will run from July 2025 to July 2030, marks the continuation of a collaboration first established in July 1995.
Speaking during the MoU renewal event at Egerton University’s Njoro Main Campus, Vice Chancellor Prof. Isaac Kibwage said the partnership has played a vital role in fostering academic excellence, innovation, and institutional capacity-building over the past three decades.
Under the new agreement, the two institutions plan to develop joint academic and non-academic programmes, promote staff capacity development, and enhance course offerings, with an emphasis on mutual benefit and global academic exchange.
“One of the key highlights of the renewed MoU is a proposal to establish a Nanjing Agricultural University Africa Campus, likely to be hosted at Egerton University,” Prof. Kibwage said.
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He revealed that the proposal was first conceptualized in September 2024, followed by NAU’s formal application to Kenya’s Commission for University Education (CUE) in March 2025. The university is currently awaiting the commission’s feedback.
Prof. Kibwage added that, if implemented, the partnership would pioneer a 50-50 cooperation model between Chinese and African universities, offering joint degree programmes that comply with local regulatory frameworks.
Egerton is also seeking to host the programme office or a collaboration centre, which would coordinate activities such as Chinese language instruction through the Confucius Institute.
He praised the achievements of the past 30 years, including joint research projects and collaborative Master’s and PhD programmes, and emphasized the potential of the renewed partnership to enhance digital skills, strengthen human capital, and act as a model for future China–Africa educational cooperation.
The renewed collaboration will also see Egerton University take the lead in forming the Global Alliance of Confucius Institutes with Agricultural Characteristics, an international network focused on agriculture and applied sciences. The alliance is expected to launch in November 2025.
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Prof. Kibwage pledged Egerton’s readiness to provide mentorship, capacity building, and expertise to member institutions and highlighted the university’s commitment to advancing interdisciplinary research and global partnerships.
“Through this platform, we aim to foster educational equity, regional economic growth, and collaborative innovation that goes beyond agriculture,” he said.
Signing the agreement on behalf of NAU, Prof. Zhu Yan, Vice President of the Chinese university, welcomed the renewal as timely, citing Kenya’s current push for international partnerships to improve graduate employability and institutional capacity.
“Offering innovative and industry-driven academic programmes through this partnership will help address the growing demand for skilled human resources across sectors,” Prof. Zhu noted.
He added that the collaboration aligns with both universities’ ambitions to internationalize academic offerings and provide students with cross-cultural experiences and knowledge transfer opportunities.
Founded in 1902 and formally named Nanjing Agricultural University in 1984, NAU is one of China’s top 50 universities. It is renowned globally for its high-impact agricultural research, with notable publications in prestigious journals such as Science and Nature.
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The university has earned numerous national and ministerial awards, cementing its reputation as a leader in agricultural science and technology.
Egerton University, established in 1987, traces its roots to a Farm School founded in 1939 by British settler Lord Maurice Egerton. It has since grown into Kenya’s oldest institution of higher learning and is recognized for its leadership in research, innovation, and global academic collaboration.
Recently, Egerton students won multiple awards at the China International College Students’ Innovation Competition and placed third globally in the Huawei ICT Competition’s Innovation category.
The renewed agreement is expected to build on this momentum, tapping into China’s vast vocational and technological networks while advancing Kenya’s growing educational and diplomatic ties with China.
It also comes as more Kenyan students pursue studies in Chinese universities, with increasing numbers of Chinese students enrolling in Kenyan institutions, signaling deepening academic and cultural exchange between the two nations.
By KIMUTAI LANGAT
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