YAOUNDE, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- China First Highway Engineering Co., Ltd. (CFHEC) launched a training initiative Monday to build local expertise in Cameroon.
The Seagull Talent Program was launched in the capital, Yaounde, with senior Cameroonian government officials, Chinese diplomats, faculty from the National Advanced School of Public Works (ENSTP), and the trainees in attendance.
The 10-day course brings together 54 participants, including 24 local project staff and 30 ENSTP students.
The program, delivered by Chinese expert assessors and ENSTP lecturers, covers surveying theory, instrument operation, and field practice, along with modules on corporate culture and drone operations.
Yang Song, general manager of CFHEC's international operations division, said the program is designed as a "talent incubator."
"Through a structured and systematic training mechanism, the Seagull Talent Program aims to continuously enhance the professional skills and teamwork of local employees, and develop a workforce with a global outlook, strong technical expertise, and intercultural communication skills," Yang said.
"It also strengthens the human resources needed for our international strategy and adds momentum to infrastructure development and modernization in Cameroon," Yang added.
Cameroon's Minister of Higher Education Jacques Fame Ndongo described the initiative as a direct transfer of skills and technology aligned with the government's goal of professionalizing education.
"You open your design offices and construction sites to our students, help align our university curricula with global standards, and introduce the technologies and standards used in major Chinese projects. This is an act of faith in Cameroon's youth," Ndongo said.
"Our shared goal is to train a highly skilled national workforce capable, in time, of designing and managing our future major infrastructure projects. That is what true technical sovereignty looks like. This marks a genuine strategic partnership that goes beyond building roads to building the future of our human capital," Ndongo added.
The program is jointly certified by Cameroon's Ministry of Higher Education, the CFHEC, and the China Highway and Transportation Society.
The CFHEC has operated in Cameroon since 1992. According to the company, it has completed nearly 132 infrastructure projects and trained more than 2,000 local professionals across different trades during that period. ■