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Xinhua News Agency and CAC Recognize NetDragon's Impact in African Education

Xinhua News Agency, China's leading press organization, featured NetDragon as a case study of "digital education" cooperation between Fujian and Africa on its homepage article Fujian and Africa Deepen Cooperation in the Digital Economy.

The piece reports on achievements of Fujian-Africa digital economy collaboration. Recommended by China's Cyberspace Administration, it was widely disseminated online via leading platforms including Netease, Sohu, Tencent, Phoenix News and Baidu News.

This follows previous authoritative coverage from Fujian Daily front page, national platform Xuexi Qiangguo, Fujian TV News and Southeast Net, cementing NetDragon's position as an exemplar of official media promotion for Sino-African internet cooperation out of Fujian.

   

Here's an excerpt from the article:

The China-Africa Internet Development and Cooperation Forum was held in Xiamen on April 2, 2024. Distinguished guests discussed deepening Sino-African cyber cooperation and a shared digital future.

Fujian has long-standing Africa ties dating back centuries via the Maritime Silk Road in the Song and Yuan dynasties. Recent annual trade between Fujian and Africa reached 89.61 billion yuan in 2023, ranking seventh among Chinese provinces. Notably, cooperation has expanded in the domains of digital economy and digital education, with numerous Fujian-based digital enterprises investing and establishing a presence in Africa.

Leading the way is NetDragon, headquartered in Fuzhou, a prominent internet company in Fujian. Initially focused on the gaming industry, the company expanded its reach into the education sector in 2010. In a significant move in 2015, NetDragon acquired Promethean, a former British listed company, for 130 million US dollars, marking the commencement of its global education endeavors. Presently, NetDragon has inked digital education solution agreements or framework agreements for deep collaboration with several African nations, including Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya. In this regard, NetDragon has emerged as a frontrunner among Chinese internet enterprises venturing into the African market.

   

According to Senior Vice President Chen Hong, NetDragon's 2022 Egyptian secondary school Chinese AI courseware pilot launched successfully. As Egyptian Ministry of Education online textbook partner, the tool addresses resource gaps and teacher experience, highly engaging students through interactive AI. It's presently deployed across 12 Egyptian Chinese demonstration schools.

"We plan integrating more AI resources into hardware per global partner needs", Chen Hong added.

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The deepening collaboration between Fujian and African nations in the digital domain serves as a microcosm of the broader China-Africa digital interconnection and cooperation. Notably, the trade volume between China and Africa reached a staggering 282.1 billion US dollars in 2023, with China's direct investment in Africa surpassing 50 billion US dollars. The quantity and quality of cooperation between the two sides continue to ascend, with a growing number of projects leveraging technology and digitization. Remarkably, the joint efforts have resulted in the deployment of over 200,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables across Africa, benefitting more than 900 million individuals. Moreover, Africa now boasts the first independent commercial 5G network, delivering high-speed internet coverage, even at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, known as "Freedom Peak".

The potential for China-Africa digital cooperation remains boundless, with positive outcomes continuing to unfold. At the forum, the National Internet Information Office of China established the China-Africa Cybersecurity and Information Exchange Cooperation Center in Xiamen. Going forward, this center will actively explore practical experiences, serving as a platform for exchange and cooperation, and propelling the realization of the initiative to jointly build a community with a shared destiny in cyberspace for China and Africa.