CAMEROON-FRANCE
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A visa bonanza for students who want to study in France

Thousands of Cameroonian students are set to benefit from efforts by the French authorities to increase the number of student visas by making the application process to go to France for educational purposes easier.

French authorities, in collaboration with the ministry of higher education in Cameroon, are also seeking ways to protect and advance French as an academic language at higher education level.

France is planning to issue about 4,300 visas to Cameroonian students who want to study at universities in France for the 2024-25 academic year, a 10% increase compared to 2023-24, Thierry Marchand, the ambassador of France to Cameroon, announced.

In fact, he said, the total number of visas issued to Cameroonian students in 2024 could increase by 30% compared to the previous year.

He was speaking at the 11th edition of a fair to promote studies in France and the French language (Salon pour la promotion des études françaises – SAPEF).

The development comes at a time when there have been strong anti-French sentiments, in particular in the West African region. One of the factors that have contributed to diplomatic tensions has been France’s student visa restrictions in countries where there have been political conflict, coups and a decline in democracy.

In addition, academic experts say that, with the increasing dominance of the English language in the business world, in particular in the era of information technology, there has been a need to promote French in higher education.

“The French have the political will to promote the language, especially in Africa. But it also takes political will [from countries in Africa] to embrace and accept the cooperation policy,” Professor Owona Nguini, a political scientist at the University of Yaoundé II, told University World News.

Employment opportunities

The focus on efforts to reinforce French as a teaching language in higher education in Cameroon and promote international study took place in two phases. The first session was on 22-23 October in Yaoundé and the second on 24-25 October in Douala.

Chaired by Marchand and Minister of Higher Education Professor Jacques Fame Ndongo, this year’s exhibition brought together students and lecturers from the different French language universities, higher education authorities and French-based enterprises as potential employers.

The event focused on the theme of employability and professionalisation, with an emphasis on supporting the professional integration of young graduates within French businesses.

French as ‘lead’ language in HE

According to the ambassador, reinforcing the teaching of the French language in universities in Cameroon is in line with the country’s policy to make French the lead language in higher education in Africa.

According to the French foreign ministry, French is the world’s fifth-most spoken language after Mandarin Chinese, English, Spanish and Arabic.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Africans to help make French “the first language in Africa and maybe even the world in the coming decades!”.

“Promoting the French language in higher education is encouraging quality education and guaranteeing professional training and employment,” Marchand said.

The French ambassador, announcing plans to issue the 4,300 visas, said: “Issuing student visas is a very important part of the relationship between France and Cameroon.” The French diplomat also said France aims to issue even more visas in 2025-26.

A team from the embassy attended both events, in Yaoundé and Douala, to explain the procedure to potential students wishing to pursue university studies in France.

In addition, the French embassy announced the opening of Campus France desks at several universities across the country. It is the government’s agency in charge of promoting French higher education abroad and welcoming foreign students and researchers to France.

“These desks allow students to start their immigration process right on campus, making it easier and saving time,” the ambassador said.

He said that, since his arrival in Cameroon at the end of 2022, he has decided to make the visa process easier for students wishing to study in universities in France, especially shortening the visa appointment period from one month to less than two weeks.

During the Yaoundé gathering, the minister of higher education emphasised the importance of international cooperation and collaboration to higher education quality.

“Facilitating the teaching of [the] French language, [and] the mobility of students and teachers through exchange programmes forms part of promoting quality university education,” he said at the opening of the event.

“We would like to see the example of France replicated by other countries in Europe, [by] easing access of our university students to studies abroad as well as more exchange programmes for quality learning,” Fame Ndongo said.

Professionalisation

In the presentations during the gathering, academic experts highlighted innovative methods of professionalisation of training with a skills-based approach, a model aimed at aligning the skills taught in university courses with the real needs of the labour market.

Students were drilled in some of the workshops on varied topics including how to build your training course and professional projects, the importance of transversal skills in professional training, training by interaction with the professional world through exchange visits and the role of incubators in the creation of enterprises.

The students welcomed the event: “It is important to organise professional and career orientation workshops for university students …” Eboh Monica Akama, a final-year bilingual series student at the University of Yaoundé I, told University World News.

The teaching and mastering of the French language in universities, according to the French ambassador, is a guarantee for graduates in French-speaking African Universities to find jobs in French enterprises and other institutions.