Djibouti Luban Workshop cements China-Africa friendship

Africa’s first Luban Workshop, a Chinese program designed to provide technical and vocational training around the world, was launched in Djibouti in 2019. The program is named after Lu Ban, a Chinese woodcraft master from ancient times who epitomized the Chinese tradition and spirit of craftsmanship.

Photo shows the Djibouti Luban Workshop. (Photo courtesy of Tianjin Railway Technical and Vocational College)

The Djibouti Luban Workshop, together with other Luban Workshops in Africa, has cemented the China-Africa friendship.

The Djibouti Luban Workshop was jointly built by Tianjin Railway Technical and Vocational College and Tianjin First College of Commerce based in north China's Tianjin Municipality, Djibouti Industrial and Commercial High School and China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC).

One of the aims of establishing the workshop was to cultivate local talents for the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway constructed by China Railway No. 2 Engineering Group Co., Ltd. and CCECC, the first trans-boundary electrified railway in Africa and a mega infrastructure project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) .

Guests pose for a group photo at the launching ceremony of the Djibouti Luban Workshop, March 28, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Tianjin Railway Technical and Vocational College)

The workshop offers four majors: railway operation and management, rail engineering technology, business and logistics, all certified by local education authorities. It is blazing a trail in Djibouti's higher vocational education and railway majors, and provides three years of intensive railway skill training.

The Djibouti Luban Workshop has helped turn the dreams of young people in the country into reality.

A teacher from Tianjin Railway Technical and Vocational College (third from left) instructs teachers and students in Djibouti in April 2019. (Photo courtesy of Tianjin Railway Technical and Vocational College)

Osman, a young man in Djibouti who has had a special affection for the long rails since childhood, became one of the first 24 students at the Djibouti Luban Workshop. After graduating from the Djibouti Industrial and Commercial High School, he had difficulty finding work and decided to further his studies when he learned that the workshop offered railway majors.

"It was like a dream when I learned that there were railway majors in my country," said Osman.

Students from the Djibouti Luban Workshop take part in a training session in September 2020. (Photo courtesy of Tianjin Railway Technical and Vocational College)

As the Chinese often say, it is better to teach people how to fish than to just give them fish. The workshop trains local teachers first to promote cooperation in nurturing local railway operation and maintenance talents and transferring technologies, thus injecting vitality into the sustainable cultivation of local talents. So far, it has trained 69 local teachers and 148 students.

The first 24 students from the Djibouti Luban Workshop became interns for the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway.

"I am eager to work for the railway. It is also the dream of all students from the workshop," Osman, who will graduate this year, told People's Daily Online.

The workshop has cultivated skilled talents for the railway industry in Djibouti and significantly increased local youths' employment competitiveness.

Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh delivers a speech at the launching ceremony of the Djibouti Luban Workshop, March 28, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Tianjin Railway Technical and Vocational College)

The Djibouti Luban Workshop will contribute significantly to the cultivation of talents for Djibouti's transport industry, and is of great importance for its railway construction and industrial development, said a senior official at the country's Ministry of Education at the launching ceremony of the workshop in 2019.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the BRI and the fifth anniversary of the operation of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway. Luban Workshops have helped countries along the Belt and Road develop a diversified pool of talents, obtain transfer of technologies, and improve employment rates, providing talent and intellectual support for local economic and social development while strengthening the China-Africa friendship.

Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh writes an inscription for the Djibouti Luban Workshop, March 28, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Tianjin Railway Technical and Vocational College)