May 6, 2014，sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce，organized by the Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture (BIOMA)，the opening ceremony of “Training Course on Biogas Technology for African English-speaking Countries in 2014”was held at BIOMA in Chengdu. Government representatives and leaders from Sichuan Provincial Department of Commerce and BIOMA attended this ceremony.

Huang Zhihu, director of Special Commissioner’s Office in Chengdu of the Ministry of Commerce expressed the training course is not only a national external assistance project, but also a  chance to promote international cooperation. Xu Kun, director from Sichuan Provincial Department of Commerce, said that in recent years, Sichuan province increased the number of external assistance projects for Africa, this training course promoted the friendship between China and African English-speaking Countries. Li Qian, director general of BIOMA extended his warmly welcome to all the participants coming to attend this training course. On behalf of BIOMA, the unique biogas-based research institute, he sincerely expressed his willingness of sharing technology, experience and the lessons with the trainees, facilitating the developments of world renewable energy technology.

It was reported that the course was the 57th international training course since 1981, from May 9, 2014 to June 30, 2014, totally 21 participants from 17 countries as Ghana, Nigeria, Seychelles, Mauritius and etc. attended the training with duration of 56 days. The contents covered the topics of “Biogas Development in China”, “Design and Construction of Rural Household Biogas Digesters”, ”Rural Household Fermentation Process for Biogas Production and New Materials”, ” Process Design of Large and Medium Size Biogas Plants”, ”Microbiology of Biogas Fermentation”, “Biogas Hygiene Effect”, “Utilization of Anaerobically Digested Slurry(ADS) and Its Environmental Beneficiary” and so on. During the training, participants also visited Biogas Project for the Animal Excreta Treatment at the Scientific Research Experimental Base of the Sichuan Academy of Livestock Sciences, Xinjin Straw Biogas Project, Shuangliu Yongan Biogas Technology Promoting Cooperative and other units. The course intended to disseminate biogas technology to other developing countries, accelerating exchanges and cooperation between China and other African Developing Countries in the field of biogas and renewable energy technology.