Hunan University adheres to the important discourse of General Secretary Xi Jinping on China Africa relations, actively serves the strategy of China Africa cooperation countries, and has been selected for the Ministry of Education's "China Africa University 20+20 Cooperation Plan", the BRICS Network University Alliance, and the "China Africa University 100 School Cooperation Plan" (in the field of "trade and investment"). It has established institutions such as the China Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Research Institute (proposed by the Standing Committee of the Hunan Provincial Committee), the China Africa Cultural Exchange Center (jointly awarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the CPC Central Committee and the Hunan Provincial Committee), and the China Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Intelligent Laboratory to promote high-quality development of China Africa cooperation.
The African Research Institute of Hunan University was officially established in 2024 and is the only secondary physical teaching and research unit among the 985 universities in China that focuses on regional research in Africa. Aiming to establish a new era of China Africa cooperation strategy, build a national team for African research, and create a research highland with international reputation, authority, and influence. The research institute takes China Africa economic and trade cooperation as the driving force, and integrates with advantageous disciplines such as political science, law, computer science and technology, and journalism and communication on the basis of economics. It has an Economic Research Office, an International Relations Research Office, a Social and Cultural Research Office, as well as major research centers for African countries.
The research institute has long supported the construction of two national level platforms for cooperation with Africa, the China Africa Economic and Trade Expo and the China Africa Economic and Trade Deep Cooperation Pilot Zone. It has undertaken multiple national social science major projects, national key research and development plans, major projects of the Ministry of Education, and regularly undertakes commissioned tasks from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce, the International Department of the Communist Party of China, and others. We have established the largest and most diverse database of domestic economic and trade research data on Africa, covering 54 countries in Africa and covering fields such as politics, economy, society, law, and public opinion. We innovatively carry out "digital intelligence cross disciplinary" research on Africa. Having a wide international network of cooperation with Africa, hosting the China Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Think Tank Seminar at the 3rd China Africa Economic and Trade Expo, setting up an office at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and signing a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Basic Education of Madagascar to jointly build the China Malaysia Cultural Exchange Center.
