Two students of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) will participate in the 2025 Chinese proficiency competition (Chinese Bridge) finals to be held in China.
The students, Godfred Takyi Boateng (level 100) and Charity Tetteh (level 400), put up a spirited performance to brush off stiff competition from other contestants in the preliminary competition at the School of Graduate Studies Auditorium at UCC.
The annual language proficiency and cultural contest is an international event opened to non-Chinese students to arouse their enthusiasm in learning Chinese and to strengthen the world’s understanding of the Chinese language and culture.
The contest featured students from two different universities namely, University of Ghana (UG), and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Tong Defa, in a remark, congratulated the award winners for their outstanding performance and commiserated with other contestants.
He said, “China and Ghana will meet new opportunities, and the two countries will have closer exchanges in various fields,” as China and Africa have designated the year of 2026 as the ‘China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.’
“Learning the Chinese Language will bring you more opportunities in the future, enable you to better serve the economic and social development of Ghana, and contribute more to our bilateral relations as well,” he told the audience, which included students from some second-cycle institutions.
Ambassador Tong commended the teachers and volunteers at the Confucius Institute, UCC, for their contributions to Chinese language education and cultural promotion.
The Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Denis Aheto, for his part, underscored the importance of the competition and urged students to take the study of the Chinese language seriously.
He emphasized UCC's commitment to internationalization and language education, noting the competition's role in fostering Ghana-China ties.
“The event showcases students' Chinese language skills, creativity, and cultural knowledge, symbolizing growing diplomatic relations between the two countries. UCC is proud to host this inaugural national competition, featuring a new training centre for local Chinese language teachers, the first of its kind in Ghana and West Africa,” he added.
The Chinese Ambassador, His Excellency Tong Defa, (5th from left) in a group shot with some dignitaries and winners,
The Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at UCC, Prof. Ou Yamei, congratulated the two winners and encouraged more students to participate in such competitions, adding that the experience of the winners in China will add immense value to their academic and professional pursuits.
“Such experiences will broaden students’ knowledge and understanding of the Chinese culture and lifestyle,” she added.
She stressed that the Confucius Institute would continue to play a key role in promoting youth exchanges between China and Ghana.
She was optimistic that the increasing number of Ghanaian students learning the Chinese language will further consolidate gains made in other areas, such as bilateral and trade cooperation.
Godfred Takyi Boateng, who is pursuing B. A Chinese, said he was very proud to represent Ghana in China and appealed to Ghanaians to support him as he competes with nationals of other countries.
Charity Tetteh also expressed gratitude to the Chinese government for the opportunity to be in China.
In the high school competition, Nana Akua Abakoma Amoako of KNUST JHS emerged first while Philip Don Amoah of UCC JHS was the first runner up.
In the basic school competition, Mafaatihi Wunnam Alidu-Cotachi took the first position and Kwaku Henaku Otsin emerged the first runner up, while Michelle Nhyira Yeoah, was the second runner up. All the students are from UCC Basic School. The winners will also represent Ghana in China.
Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC