On October 7-10, the delegation headed by Director Fang Yinxia visited the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (NIOF) of Egypt, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on marine science and technology cooperation, and inaugurated the China-Africa Marine Science and Blue Economy Cooperation Center (“China-Africa Marine Center”) in Alexandria.

NIOF extended a warm welcome to the delegation of the SIO. Director Fang Yinxia and Professor Amr·Zakaria·Homouda, Chairman of NIOF, signed a memorandum of understanding on marine science and technology cooperation in the presence of the Minister-Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, the Acting Consul General of the Chinese Consulate in Alexandria, and the Governor of Alexandria, and inaugurated the China-Africa Marine Center at the Alexandria branch of NIOF. After the inauguration of the Center, Director Fang Yinxia serves as the Chairman of the First Scientific Steering Committee of the China-Africa Marine Center, representatives from Egypt, Cote d'Ivoire, Tanzania and South Africa serve as Vice Chairmen, and the SIO will coordinate specific cooperation matters with NIOF and the African Sub-Committee of the IOC. The China-Africa Marine Center will hold the 5th China-Africa Marine Science and Technology Forum in Alexandria, Egypt, in 2024.

As a ministerial research unit directly under the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, NIOF, founded in 1918, is the oldest marine research institution in North Africa. NIOF has a joint training center with the International Seabed Authority and is also a global implementation partner of the “Ocean Decade”. During the visit, researchers from China and Egypt also had academic exchanges, made academic reports on their respective fields, and proposed suggestions for future cooperation directions. The two sides agreed that the China-Africa Marine Center will jointly develop proposals in the fields of mineral resources exploration, climate change, prevention and control of harmful algal blooms, etc., and apply for cooperation projects in due course.

In July of this year, the China-Africa Marine Center was established in Hangzhou. This is the first formal academic cooperation and exchange between the SIO and African co-construction institutions after the establishment of the Center. In the future, the two sides will further enrich the construction contents of the China-Africa Marine Center through cooperation in project application, holding training courses and seminars, and carrying out scientific and technological personnel exchanges, and on this basis, enhance exchanges with other African countries, so as to expand the influence of the China-Africa Marine Center and bring the fruits of cooperation to more African countries.