From September 11 to 14, 2026, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China hosted the High-Level Meeting on International Cooperation in Open Science and the Pujiang Innovation Forum in Shanghai. Prof. Saidou Madougou, Director of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Department of African Union Commission, and Prof. Brando Okolo, Senior Advisor and Head of Science Technology and Innovation, AUDA-NEPAD, attended and delivered speeches at the invitation of the Mission of China to the African Union.

Prof. Saidou expressed his appreciation for the Mission's robust support for the African Union's implementation of the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa. He commended the "Action Plan for International Cooperation in Open Science," jointly launched by the AU, China, Brazil, and South Africa, as a model of South-South cooperation and multilateralism. He also expressed his readiness to further deepen practical cooperation in emerging technologies, building upon the Memorandum of Understanding on Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the AU and China.

Prof. Brando expressed appreciation for the enduring China-Africa partnership and conveyed his willingness to draw on China's experience in technological development. He proposed jointly building the Digital Silk Road and deepening cooperation in scientific platforms, joint research, and talent cultivation, and work together to build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.