China Strengthens Its Influence by Educating Africa’s Emerging Leaders

For many African students considering overseas education, China has emerged as a preferred destination over the United States.

This trend was underway long before recent U.S. visa restrictions raised concerns about America's standing as a global hub for international scholars.

Over the last decade, numerous African applicants have opted for Chinese universities instead of renowned institutions in the U.S. and the U.K., drawn by attractive government scholarships, affordable tuition, lower living expenses, and simpler visa processes.

Africa’s rapidly growing and youthful population contrasts with aging demographics in many wealthier regions, creating a pressing demand for education and skilled labor development on the continent.

With insufficient university capacity to meet this demand, China has intensified efforts to attract African students amid a decline in U.S. diplomatic, military, and humanitarian engagement in Africa.

The Chinese Communist Party views the education of Africa’s future leaders as a strategic move to expand its soft power and promote its political and economic model across developing nations.

These initiatives are already bearing fruit.

Graduates trained in China are increasingly occupying influential roles in African governments, facilitating the growth of Chinese companies like Huawei on the continent, and bridging cultural divides through language and lifestyle exchanges.

According to experts, China has established a robust educational pathway for African students seeking studies abroad, creating mutual benefits for both parties.

Data from 2018 shows more than 81,000 African students enrolled in Chinese universities—more than double the number from 2013. This surpasses the 55,000 African students enrolled in the U.S. in 2023 and 68,000 in the U.K. in 2022, according to UNESCO statistics.

However, students from French-speaking African countries still predominantly choose France for higher education.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic caused a temporary decline in African enrollments in China due to travel restrictions and campus closures, numbers have since recovered. Depending on their program, students often study in either Chinese or English, while generally learning Mandarin to navigate daily life.

Expanding African student enrollment also helps Chinese universities counteract expected enrollment decreases caused by low birth rates and slower economic growth domestically.

China's more accessible visa policies enhance its appeal. In 2022, more than half of African student visa applications to the U.S. were rejected, often due to incomplete documentation, financial concerns, or doubts about students’ intentions to return home.

Recent U.S. measures have included suspending student visa interviews amid social media screenings and cracking down on campus speech, jeopardizing international students’ ability to study in the country. Reports have emerged of visa revocations and detentions by immigration authorities.

These policies risk undermining the financial health, global standing, and research productivity of American universities.

Experts warn that such restrictions may accelerate the migration of international students toward countries like China, weakening America’s role as a center for education, cultural exchange, and talent cultivation.

The U.S. has historically attracted the world's elite students, fostering an appreciation for its culture and values that often influences bilateral relations when those students return home. Losing this dynamic diminishes American soft power.

Students such as Helen Dekyem from Ghana are attracted to China by partial scholarships and more affordable tuition for STEM courses. After years of studying Mandarin, Dekyem secured funding to pursue clinical pharmacy in Nanjing at a fraction of the cost she would face in the U.S.

"China represents the future," Dekyem said as she prepared to graduate.

Over the past twenty years, China has become Africa's largest trading partner and creditor, financing infrastructure projects and expanding its footprint in sectors ranging from media and technology to military and mining. Beijing also regularly hosts African leaders and provides training for thousands of African officials in agriculture, science, and military affairs.

China’s strategy to educate African students mirrors the Soviet Union’s Cold War-era efforts to foster long-term ties through education, which continue to influence African leaders’ affinity toward Russia. Analysts suggest that as more Africans gain exposure to China’s systems and culture, Beijing will solidify its position as Africa's default international partner.

"China Made Me African"

The United States once showed greater enthusiasm in educating African students.

In the late 1950s, as African nations approached independence, the U.S. launched initiatives such as the John F. Kennedy airlift, which sponsored hundreds of African students with limited access to higher education to attend American colleges. Notable beneficiaries included Barack Obama’s father and Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai.

During the same period, China provided scholarships for training African professionals, but dissatisfaction with curriculum quality and ideological content led to a decline in enrollment. The Cultural Revolution in the mid-1960s further curtailed African student admissions as universities closed.

China renewed its engagement with Africa in the 1980s, establishing closer ties and long-term agreements. By 2013, when China’s top leader first visited Africa, over 33,000 African students were studying in China—a sharp increase from just over 5,000 between 1976 and 1995.

For many African students, arriving in China marked their first experience traveling abroad and meeting peers from across the continent.

Today, African students in China often bond over shared meals like Nigerian jollof or Ethiopian injera while discussing topics such as internet censorship. They use platforms like WeChat to exchange Zimbabwean music and Ugandan art and have created websites to support newcomers with advice on cuisine, fashion, and lifestyle in major Chinese cities.

Norbert Haguma, a Rwandan businessman and tech executive who spent over a decade in China, described how connecting with fellow Africans cultivated a strong sense of Pan-African identity. “I went to China as a Rwandan, but China made me African,” he reflected.

Despite positive experiences, many African students face challenges related to racial prejudice, such as unwanted attention, intrusive behavior, and social exclusion.

David Prah, a Ghanaian doctoral student on a full scholarship, recounted experiences of discrimination on public transport, where passengers would distance themselves or cover their faces when he sat nearby. He described these encounters as painful and contradictory to China’s educational diplomacy efforts.

Returning Home

After graduation, some African alumni of Chinese universities seek employment or further opportunities abroad, while others return home to promote the advantages of a Chinese education.

Faith Mworia leads a Chinese language teachers’ association in Kenya and founded one of East Africa’s few private Chinese tutoring centers, educating hundreds preparing to study, conduct business, or travel in China.

She has organized nationwide language competitions and cultural events, teaching students about Chinese cuisine and traditional festivals such as Tomb-Sweeping Day, a spring holiday honoring ancestors.

Recently, after teaching two classes, Mworia volunteered to instruct a high school group in Kibera, Nairobi’s largest informal settlement, aiming to boost their chances of winning scholarships to China.

"The Chinese presence here is significant," she said. "Equipping Africa’s youth with these skills gives the continent’s brightest a chance to shape the world they want to inhabit."