By Ikenna Emewu

Source: https://africachinapresscentre.org/28-afe-babalola-varsity-students-off-to-china-on-language-exchange-course/

The partnership between Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, and China was taken a notch higher yesterday when 23 students from the University departed for Changchun, China, for a 28-day short-term Study Programme at the Changchun College of Electronic Technology.

Their journey came 51 days after another set of the university’s 37 engineering students arrived in Nigeria on July 11, 2026, upon the completion of their 20-day Advanced Practical Training in Intelligent Manufacturing and Control Technologies under a Student Exchange Partnership with Zhejiang Polytechnic University of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, ZUME, Hangzhou, China.

This is certainly a clear case of one programme deepening technological competence with another strengthening language proficiency and cultural intelligence.

Commenting on the latest visit of ABUAD students to China, the University’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, said the various partnership programmes in China demonstrate the growing breadth, strength and value of ABUAD’s partnerships with Chinese institutions.

“From engineering laboratories to language classrooms, from technological innovation to cultural immersion, the ABUAD-China relationship is steadily developing into a comprehensive platform for global education”, Olarinde said.

She added: “From Ado-Ekiti to China, we are not merely crossing borders, we are building bridges. From language to culture, from culture to understanding, and from understanding to collaboration, ABUAD is preparing a generation of students for a truly global future.

“Ultimately, this is what our internationalisation agenda is all about. It is about preparing our students not merely to graduate, but to belong in the world. It is about giving them the knowledge to compete, the confidence to collaborate, the cultural intelligence to connect and the courage to explore”.

Olarinde emphasized that the flourishing partnership between ABUAD and China is a clear example of partnerships that come alive in the lives of people rather than those that appear on paper only.

According to her, the trip by the students represents yet another significant chapter in the ABUAD-China partnership because “their journey represents far more than an international academic trip.

Rather, it is the practical expression of ABUAD’s deliberate commitment to preparing young Nigerians for a world in which cultures, economies, technologies and people are increasingly interconnected”.

Her words: “At the heart of this programme are two important pillars of global engagement: language and culture. While technology may provide the tools through which nations connect, it is language and cultural understanding that enable people to build meaningful relationships”.

She added: “This is why the ABUAD-China partnership goes beyond conventional student exchange. It is about building bridges of understanding between Nigeria and China. It is about exposing our students to another civilisation and equipping them with the linguistic, cultural and interpersonal competencies required to participate meaningfully in an increasingly global society.

“For the Founder and Chancellor of ABUAD, Aare Afe Emmanuel Babalola, (SAN), education has never been conceived as something confined within the four walls of a classroom. His vision has always been to provide education that is transformative, globally relevant and capable of producing graduates who can stand confidently anywhere in the world”.