With the goal of fostering friendly exchanges between African countries and China, and of promoting an objective understanding of China by Africans and of Africa by the Chinese, the "Association for the Promotion of Sino-African Studies", abbreviated APÉSA, was founded. Composed mainly of young Ph.D. holders and former graduates of prestigious Chinese and African universities, the Association is based in Maroua, a city that hosts one of the eight state universities of Cameroon: the University of Maroua, which offers training in Chinese language and civilization at the Higher Teachers' Training College (ÉNS) and the Faculty of Arts, Letters and Human Sciences (FALSH). As such, this Association is of great importance to students of Chinese and anyone interested in Chinese language and culture.
The Association has both a digital and physical library containing books, manuals, academic articles, theses, dissertations, etc., essential for learning and research. To help young researchers align with international standards, the Association also offers short-term training in education, particularly on the use of ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) in research.