Will African students’ embrace of China opportunities build support for Beijing?

Easy access to scholarships and a lenient visa regime are making Chinese universities the top choice for a growing number in Africa

Reading Time:5 minutes

China has funded thousands of scholarships for international students from Africa, overtaking France, Britain and the US. Photo: AFP

Published: 12:00pm, 15 Aug 2024Updated: 1:29pm, 15 Aug 2024

When Kenyan international relations student Adhere Cavince wanted to pursue his doctoral degree, “studying in China came as a natural choice” because of his academic interest and China’s global ambitions.

Cavince – who won a Chinese government scholarship to Central China Normal University from 2019-2022 – is among thousands of Africans benefiting from Beijing-funded scholarships. Many others self-finance their studies in China.

Observers say a growing number of African students are choosing China as their top study destination because of its affordability in terms of both tuition fees and living costs, as well as a lenient student visa regime and easy access to scholarships.

They could become an army of influencers in the future that is favourable towards China and its activities as Africa’s largest trading partner and bankroller of multibillion-dollar projects through the Belt and Road Initiative, the observers said.

“I had an offer to study at a European university but my interest area drove me to study in China,” said Cavince, now an international relations specialist based in Nairobi. He added that China’s education system has improved in quality to match the skill levels in Europe and North America.

According to Cavince, the cost of living is much lower for foreign students, who are also looked after better, so that many parents who are willing to privately fund their children’s education abroad are increasingly looking towards China.

China was outranked only by France as the top overseas higher education destination for African students four years ago, when Chinese statistics about international student numbers were last released.