The Chinese government has offered 200 Zambian students scholarship awards this year to pursue various degree programs in China a Chinese envoy said Wednesday.

During a pre-departure ceremony held for the beneficiaries in Lusaka the Chinese Ambassador to Zambia; Yang Youming said that education is one of the important areas of cooperation between China and Zambia.

Youming is quoted by Xinhua saying that there are more than 200 Zambian students are studying in China and the country has become the favourite destination for Zambian youths to study overseas.

He said the 200 students have been accepted under various scholarships programs, and among them, 26 students will be studying vocal and dancing under a program initiated by first ladies of the two countries.

Apart from the scholarships, the Chinese government is also actively engaged in the development of Zambia’s human resource. Since 2013 over 1500 Zambians from government departments have been trained by the Chinese government.

The government has also helped Zambia in building schools and providing other technical services.

Zambia’s First Lady Esther Lungu commended the Chinese government for its unwavering support to Zambia in various sectors, including the education sector. Read more details here.