From July 21 to 30, Director Fang Yinxia led a delegation of the Second Institute of Oceanography (SIO) to visit Côte d'Ivoire, Benin and Nigeria, conducted academic cooperation and exchanges with the Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition of Côte d'Ivoire, the Benin Fisheries and Marine Research Institute, and the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, and reached cooperation intentions in relevant fields.

In Côte d'Ivoire, Director Fang Yinxia held talks with the Minister of the Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition, introduced the main business of the SIO, and expressed the willingness to establish a ministerial cooperation relationship, which was positively endorsed by the other side. Accompanied by the Director of the Blue Economy Department of the Ministry, the delegation conducted in-depth exchanges with the University Felix Houphouet-Boigny, learned about its urgent development needs in the blue economy, conducted field investigations of its coastal zones, mangroves and future lagoon development areas, and identified the key and difficult points faced by the other side in the development of blue economy. Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in marine and lagoon spatial planning, pollution control and personnel training.

In Benin, the delegation visited the Benin Fisheries and Marine Research Institute and relevant maritime management departments. Through academic reports and site inspections, the two sides discussed and determined the cooperation priorities, reached cooperation intentions in areas such as coastal erosion and governance, personnel training and ocean observation, and signed the first memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the SIO and the scientific research institution in West Africa.

In Nigeria, the delegation visited the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research. The SIO and Nigeria have conducted multiple joint voyages and have a long history of cooperation in delimitation of continental shelf and training of marine science and technology talents. The first graduate student funded by the Chinese Government Ocean Scholarship Program was a Nigerian student who graduated from the SIO in 2017. During the visit, both sides warmly reviewed the cooperation history and determined to strengthen cooperation in areas such as capacity building, ocean observation, integrated ocean management, technical support for fishery development, and ocean remote sensing, and signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation. After the meeting, the delegation also conducted a field investigation of the proposed cooperation observation project site and will promote the implementation of the project as soon as possible.

This is the first visit to marine research institutions in West African countries organized by the SIO since the establishment of the China-Africa Marine Science and Blue Economy Center (China-Africa Marine Center). The SIO reached consensus with marine research institutions in Côte d'Ivoire, Benin and Nigeria on cooperation in marine-related fields under the framework of the China-Africa Marine Center, further expanding the cooperation network and influence of the China-Africa Marine Center.