Bongani Ndlovu
Vusumuzi Dube in BEIJING, China
Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Mercy Dinha on Saturday met officials from the Academy of International Business Officials (AIBO), led by its Vice-President, Mr Chen Runyun, as part of efforts to gain a deeper understanding of the academy’s operations, training programmes and role in international trade.
The meeting was held during Deputy Minister Dinha’s visit to China, where the academy is hosting the Ministerial Seminar for Senior Public Management Officials of Zimbabwe.
The 12-day programme brings together Zimbabwean public officials for training focused on China’s development experience, public administration and economic modernisation.
The seminar forms part of China’s broader efforts to share its development experience with partner countries while strengthening practical cooperation through human resource development.
During the meeting, Mr Runyun outlined the history and mandate of AIBO, highlighting its role in developing expertise in public administration and foreign trade.
He said the academy was established in 1982 and operates under China’s Ministry of Commerce as one of its 30 departments.
“The academy was founded in 1982 and falls under the Ministry of Commerce as one of the 30 departments within the Ministry,” said Runyun.
He said AIBO also houses the Communist Party of China (CPC) School, which conducts specialised training programmes lasting between one and three months for officials and professionals.
“Within the academy, we also have the CPC School, where our training programmes run between one and three months. The academy is there for officials to get a better understanding of our country’s policies and how best to implement them in their various roles,” he said.
Runyun said the academy was also responsible for training officials from the Ministry of Commerce, as well as diplomats serving at Chinese embassies around the world.
“Another core function is that of managing all foreign trade training, where we have over 200 institutions that deal with foreign trade, all approved by the Ministry of Commerce,” he said.
He said AIBO was fully funded by the Chinese Government and also worked with private companies to expand and strengthen its training programmes.
Online Reporter