China is the top destination of African students

Published: May 05,2023

By Staff Writer

Many African students are now turning to China Universities which signifies a reverse trend where a decade ago, the preferred destination was USA and UK. China is not only attracting African students only but also from other parts of the world like Asia, Europe, Oceania, Americas and Asia. The rate of growth of African students going to China for study abroad is said to have grown by 258% between 2011 and 2017, compared with a growth rate of 30% for the US and declines of minus-2% for France and minus-24% for the United Kingdom.
In 2019, there were about 80,000 students from Africa studying in China and the growth was expected to increase if there was no disruption by COVID-19.  

Since 2000, when the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC was initiated, the Chinese government pledged financial support to provide scholarships to thousands of African students to study in China.  Additionally self-sponsored students also prefer China Universities for different reasons. China is a peaceful country with no acts of violence like school shootings, police brutality or armed gangs. Secondly, many parents who take their students to China have confidence that their children will not be involved in drug abuse because of the strict measures by Chinese Authorities. 

A Number of parents have expressed regret to sending their children in US or European universities, where they ended up dropping out of school because of involvement in acts of drug abuse. Again parents say that they children are not discriminated against in China because the people are friendly, humble and respect their culture which is centered on love.  Chinese universities provide quality education which is also affordable compared to US and European costs. 

The interaction between African and China students will create the next generation of scholars and elites who understand each other and will combine their knowledge and skills to improve China-Africa cooperation. The facts that China is the second largest economy in the world, some students learn Mandarin to enable them do business with China upon graduation. 

Apart from the Chinese government offering scholarships to African students, Chinese teachers and technicians are dispatched to Africa to educate and train people on the ground. In individual African countries, Chinese professionals are integrated in local schools, participating in social, cultural and educational activities. In many cases, the Chinese dream has become a viable alternative to American colleges or European universities, in terms of social prestige, practicality and future prospects. Promoting China-Africa traditional friendship through youth exchanges has been an important aspect of China-Africa relations.