Photo taken on April 4, 2018 shows China's Wanbao rice farm project located in southern Mozambique's Xai-Xai district. (Xinhua/Nie Zuguo)

NAIROBI, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for education Amina Mohamed has hailed China's support towards scientific research and innovations in Africa.

Speaking on Saturday at the Sino-Africa Joint Research Center (SAJOREC) based at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Mohamed said China-funded joint research projects are key to attaining food security and environmental sustainability in Africa.

"The collaboration between scholars from the two sides including student exchange has further strengthened our bilateral and economic relations," Mohamed remarked during a visit to SAJOREC on Saturday.

She said the China-Africa research center will enhance cooperation in human resource training so as to sustain the momentum of Kenya's long-term development.

The Cabinet Secretary noted the center will inject additional impetus and propel JKUAT to the next level in research and innovation.

"I am optimistic that the SAJOREC initiative will ensure cutting-edge research and various technological innovations in different fields of science and technology," said Mohamed.

She observed that Kenyan universities have become centers of innovation and entrepreneurship that aim to accelerate the attainment of Kenyan development strategies, including Vision 2030 and the Government's Big Four Priorities.

Mohamed noted that over this period, the relations between Kenya and China have deepened and developed the enduring economic, social and political partnership that the two countries enjoy today.

She noted that the bilateral agreements in the field of environmental protection and other various fields continue to bring tangible and impacting results to the two countries' economy.

The joint center also won applause from local educators. "The SOJAREC facility has enhanced our capacity to achieve a vision as a training, research and entrepreneurial institution," Mabel Imbuga, the Vice Chancellor of JKUAT said.

She said that the botanical garden that has been set up in collaboration with the Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences disseminates cultural and scientific information about plants.

"The information on the importance of biodiversity is important especially now when climate change is affecting plants and animal population dynamics as never experienced before," she added.

Imbuga noted that the initiative has helped foster research in the region while boosting human capacity through training in biodiversity, conservation, geographic and remote sensing, natural products development, agricultural science, technology and innovations, microbiology and molecular biotechnology.

"It is my expectation that the existing collaboration will continue to grow from strength to strength for mutual benefit of the two countries," she said.

She promised to ensure that the university will play its part to ensure maximum sustainability of SAJOREC.

SAJOREC, a talent cultivation and scientific research institute, was established in 2013 and covers some 40 acres of land.

Since its establishment, 45 joint research programs focusing on biodiversity, pathogenic microorganism detection, geographic science and remote sensing, high yield and high quality crop cultivation demonstration and land and water resource management has been undertaken.

Over 160 scientists and senior technicians from 13 African countries have also been trained since its inception.