On November 19, a delegation from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, led by Vice Chancellor Adenike Temidayo Oladiji, visited Ocean University of China (OUC). President Zhang Junfeng met with the guests at Laoshan Campus, and Vice President Liu Yong engaged in open discussions with the delegation.

President Zhang Junfeng extended a warm welcome to Vice Chancellor Oladiji and her delegation. He noted that OUC is a global leader in fields such as marine science and fisheries, is actively expanding high-level international exchanges and cooperation, and serves as an important driver of global collaboration and innovation in marine research and education. He highlighted the close cooperation that OUC and the Federal University of Technology, Akure, have established in geosciences, particularly in river-delta studies. The approval of the “China–Nigeria Joint Laboratory on River Delta”, an Intergovernmental Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation project under China’s Key R&D Program has laid a solid foundation for the partnership between the two universities. He expressed the hope that the two institutions would work hand in hand to build the joint laboratory into a model platform for China–Africa cooperation in scientific research and talent development, deepen the friendship between China and Nigeria, and contribute to the Belt and Road Initiative.

Vice Chancellor Oladiji introduced the Federal University of Technology, Akure, emphasizing that Nigerian universities attach great importance to collaboration with Chinese institutions. She reviewed the successful exchanges carried out by the two universities in faculty and student visits, joint research, technical training, and other areas. She expressed the hope that this visit would help further strengthen the friendship between the two sides, expand inter-university cooperation, and yield even more fruitful outcomes.

Vice President Liu Yong and Vice Chancellor Oladiji signed a memorandum of understanding on behalf of their respective universities and jointly unveiled the plaque of the China–Nigeria Joint Laboratory on River Delta. Liu Yong remarked that the series of practical cooperation initiatives such as the joint research through the laboratory and OUC’s three-month thematic training program for talent cultivation have been both effective and meaningful. He expressed the hope that the two universities would further deepen exchanges and cooperation across a broader range of fields.