STORY: Chinese road builders win credit in Uganda for community engagement
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: Nov. 8, 2024
LENGTH: 00:05:01
LOCATION: KIKUUBE, Uganda
CATEGORY: ECONOMY/CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. Various of CRSG camp in Kikuube
2. Various of students touring the CRSG lab
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): PENINAH NASAMBU, Student of Buhimba Technical Institute
4. Various of MoU signing ceremony between CRSG and Buhimba Technical Institute
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): CHEN HAI, Representative of CRSG Uganda
6. Various of Buhimba Technical Institute and the students in class 
7. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): CHARLES PIIDO, Principal of Buhimba Technical Institute
8. Drone shot of CRSG stone quarry
9. Various of Buhimba Technical Institute students touring CRSG Stone quarry
10. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): KATUMBA WAMALA, Uganda's Minister of Works and Transport
11. Various of CRSG stone quarry and the Chinese-constructed road
12. SOUNDBITE 5 (English): PENINAH NASAMBU, Student of Buhimba Technical Institute
13. Various of Buhimba Technical Institute students at Stone quarry
14. SOUNDBITE 6 (Englilsh): ZHANG LIZHONG, Chinese Ambassador to Uganda
15. Various of students during a painting competition


STORYLINE:

For 20-year-old Peninah Nasambu, a civil engineering student from Uganda, her recent visit to a Chinese road construction camp brimmed with new discoveries.

As Buhimba Technical Institute inked a cooperation memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China Railway Seventh Group (CRSG), Nasambu and dozens of her schoolmates took the opportunity to explore the camp's laboratory, stone quarry, and warehouse.

The tour allowed the young generations to gain firsthand insights into how a road is built from scratch.

During the MoU's signing ceremony in Kikuube, a western Ugandan district where expansive savannah and mountain slopes frame the camp, Nasambu told Xinhua that she dreamed of becoming a certified civil engineer. Finishing her studies, in her eyes, will mark an essential milestone toward her goal.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): PENINAH NASAMBU, Student of Buhimba Technical Institute
"My dream was to become an engineer. Because of the dream, I wanted to make my dream grow and come to reality."

Kikuube, one of Uganda's oil-rich districts, was once remote and underdeveloped. Now, with the support of partners like CRSG, the Ugandan government is building "oil roads" to better connect the region and advance the resource industry.

Such partnerships also benefitted students like Nasambu, presenting access to practical training, internships, and potential job opportunities.

"The training is so important because, at school, we mostly study theory," Nasambu said. "If I can get hands-on experience here, I'll gain so much in different fields."

She added that she hopes to be among the top students selected for an internship with the CRSG team.

The ongoing construction of "oil roads" is strengthening the bond between the road builders of CRSG and the local community.

Chen Hai, CRSG's representative, underlined the memorandum as a significant step toward enhancing that relationship.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): CHEN HAI, Representative of CRSG Uganda
"Since we are in this region, we hope to use the strength of our company to improve the local education level. The memorandum mainly states that we can offer them some internship and employment opportunities and invite their students to our project for hands-on practice in fields like welding and auto repair. Currently, it's indeed challenging to find local workers, especially those with basic technical skills, so we hope to develop our own reserve workforce."

Principal of Buhimba Technical Institute Charles Piido noted that over 80 percent of CRSG's workforce comes from the surrounding areas, deepening the connection between the Chinese company and local communities.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): CHARLES PIIDO, Principal of Buhimba Technical Institute
"As an institution, we don't have the capacity to have all the training equipment and the materials to be used during the training of the institution. But if we enter a private-public partnership, it brings on board for our curriculum to be updated so that we are able to train (according) to the current trends of technology. And at the same time, this exposes our training to be able to move out and be able to bridge the gap between what is in the institution and what is in the world of work."

"Most of our students come from farming families who can't afford training costs," Piido said. "Through this memorandum, we can lower the cost of education, as the company supports what families and institutions may struggle to provide."

Katumba Wamala, Uganda's minister of works and transport, who attended the ceremony as chief guest, praised CRSG for its willingness to share expertise with Ugandans. He emphasized that this cooperation supports the government's goal to equip young people with practical vocational skills for their sustainable careers.

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): KATUMBA WAMALA, Uganda's Minister of Works and Transport
"We have had very lovely and healthy working relationships with the Chinese government. These people have known what we want, and they are ready to help us without attachments, without conditions, without conditionalities, unlike other people, who want to give us money with conditions attached. Chinese money has no attachment."

"Skills and experience are what matter in the workforce, not just qualifications," Wamala advised the students. "Those of you in technical courses are on the right path. It's technical training that will determine your future. With skills, you have capital. Now all you need are the tools."

SOUNDBITE 5 (English): PENINAH NASAMBU, Student of Buhimba Technical Institute
"We are the coming generation. And as I see in years to come, Uganda is going to be something different, because first of all, like, everything is in details here and young people will be able to use the machines without inconveniences."

Since entering the Ugandan market in 2009, CRSG has provided over 7,000 job opportunities for locals, according to Chen. Currently, CRSG is overseeing 10 projects in Uganda, including eight road and municipal engineering projects and two bridge projects.

The company also works to interact with the local community through various activities, including short marathons, educational support, sports competitions, and safety workshops.

Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zhang Lizhong hailed CRSG and other Chinese companies for their commitment to community engagement.

SOUNDBITE 6 (English): ZHANG LIZHONG, Chinese Ambassador to Uganda
"I want to thank the local leaders for your support to the Chinese companies and support (for) the active engagements with the local communities so that local communities can also benefit from these cooperations."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Kikuube, Uganda.
(XHTV)