More oxygen for Africa-China higher education collaboration

China and Africa are deepening collaborations between their universities and they have resolved to increase the number of institutions of higher learning involved in partnerships between the two regions across various fields of study.

Professor Peng Yi, a higher education expert who was appointed by the China Association for Higher Education, or CAHE, and the Association of African Universities (AAU), said the “friendship and trust between China and Africa” was making higher education collaboration easier.

The collaboration, which is being undertaken under the China-Africa Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism, was launched in July 2023 during the biennial Conference of Rectors, Vice-Chancellors and Presidents of African Universities (COREVIP) in Windhoek, Namibia.

The objectives of the China-Africa Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism include advancing educational delivery capabilities in science, technology, health, agriculture, joint research and scientific publications between universities in Africa and China; curriculum strengthening and joint academic programme development; academic staff and cultural exchange programmes; as well as scholarships and bursaries for Africans in pursuit of postgraduate studies in China.

The commitment to cooperation was an outcome as representatives from China and Africa participating in the exchange mechanism held a meeting under the theme ‘Collaborative Innovation and Mechanism Leadership: A new chapter in China-Africa higher education exchange and cooperation’ that looked at strategies to enhance collaborations between China and Africa. It was a side event during a hybrid conference of the AAU conference that ran from 21 to 25 July in Rabat, Morocco.

A ‘compelling’ partnership story

One of the African presenters whose institution is part of the partnership with China, Professor Samuel Donkor, the vice-chancellor of the All Nations University, a private university in Ghana, told delegates that the China-Africa educational partnership has evolved from modest beginnings into a comprehensive framework that now encompasses multiple dimensions of cooperation.

“The numerical indicators of our partnership tell a compelling story. About 81,000 African students have studied in Chinese universities over the past two decades, with current annual enrolment exceeding 50,000 students.

“Chinese universities have established formal partnerships with over 350 African institutions across 54 countries, creating extensive networks that span the entire continent of Africa.

“The Chinese Government Scholarship programme has supported about 40,000 African students, while provincial and institutional scholarships have provided additional opportunities for thousands more,” he said.

“Beyond student mobility, our partnership encompasses significant infrastructure and capacity-building initiatives. The establishment of 61 Confucius Institutes and 48 Confucius Classrooms across Africa has laid a foundation for cultural and linguistic exchange that extends far beyond language learning.

“These institutions have become centres for academic dialogue, cultural understanding and professional development, serving local communities while strengthening bilateral relationships.”

Donkor said the China-Africa University 20+20 Cooperation Plan which was launched in 2012, paired 20 leading Chinese universities with 20 prominent African universities, creating a structured framework for sustained collaboration.

He added that this initiative has generated about 200 joint research projects, established 45 joint research centres, and facilitated the exchange of more than 15,000 faculty members and researchers.

“More recently, the African Talents Programme and the China-Africa Higher Education Partnership Plan have expanded the scope of cooperation to include technical and vocational education, agricultural extension services, and technology transfer initiatives.

“The African Union-China partnership in establishing Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centres in 24 African countries represents a model of how university-based research can directly address continental development challenges,” he noted.

Student mobility amid geopolitical changes

China-Africa experts said geopolitical changes, in particular the United States’ administration of President Donald Trump’s targeting of the country’s own universities, could contribute to more students from Africa going to China.

University World News reported in July that American colleges and universities are heading for a decline of between 30% and 40% – or 80,000 international students – in the semester set to begin in a few weeks when compared to the 2024 to 2025 academic year, according to a report released by NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

Dr Winslow Robertson, a China-Africa scholar based at the emlyon business school in France, told University World News that US President Donald Trump’s previous policies have not had much bearing on the increasing numbers of African students pivoting towards Chinese education. He said that the important determining factor is the role of Chinese scholarships.

The postdoctoral fellow, who focuses on Chinese economic engagement with African states and markets as well as the interaction between policy finance and investment, said Trump’s current policies of attacking educational institutions in the US and alienating other countries, probably, all else being equal, can contribute to a shift.

“Because those numbers that were quoted are based on the past, I would argue, [those developments] were going to happen, regardless of Trump. Now the Trump policy has changed. So, all else being equal, that means besides that policy, if everything else doesn’t change, then I expect African students to be more interested in China’s education,” he said.

“But here’s the thing: If there’s a set number of scholarships for African students, there’s not going to be an increase of African students in China. So, if there are 100 scholarships and there’s more interest, [and] the scholarships are the determining factor, you’re still only going to get 100 students. I think the scholarships and the funding are a really important part of this package.”

Robertson pointed out that the Chinese government-backed scholarships are provisional and, much as in the Trump administration, could also be subject to change based on how China views educational policy in the future.

Existing friendships

Professor Peng Yi, who is also the former co-director at the University of Johannesburg Confucius Institute (UJCI) as well as the former co-director of the University of Johannesburg Centre for Africa-China Studies, told University World News that the closer cooperation in higher education between Africa and China can be attributed to a number of factors.

According to her, the academic Chinese universities have been collaborating with Africa for 30 years and these relations have been deepened through a partnership with the China-Africa Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism.

Peng, a higher education expert who was appointed by the China Association for Higher Education, or CAHE, and the AAU, and is also a lecturer at China’s Nanjing Tech University, said China’s focus on infrastructure and human capital aligns with Africa’s priorities, with higher education as a key enabler.

Peng said, from China’s standpoint, the US recent policy changes such as aid cuts, do not largely influence China-Africa collaboration, but African countries may be swayed towards other areas such as Europe and Asia, which she said was “good” as education collaboration needed diversity.

She said that, under the dialogue platform Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, or FOCAC, which, since 2024, included the China-Africa Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism, more Chinese universities are including the continent in their international collaboration strategies supported by budgetary provisions and implementation plans.

Relationship challenges

Vice-chancellor Donkor said there are challenges facing the China-Africa partnership.

“Many of our African partner institutions operate with research infrastructure that limits their ability to participate as equal partners in cutting-edge research collaborations.

“Laboratory facilities, library resources and technological infrastructure often fall short of international standards, creating asymmetries that can undermine the principle of equal partnership that should guide our cooperation,” Donkor added.

“The persistent challenge of talent retention across Africa affects, not only individual institutions, but the entire ecosystem of China-Africa cooperation. African universities lose approximately 30% of their PhD graduates to international migration within five years of graduation.”

He said this brain drain undermines institutional capacity building and creates ongoing challenges for sustaining long-term collaborative relationships.

He added that addressing this challenge requires both institutional and policy interventions that create compelling reasons for talented individuals to build their careers within the Africa-China partnership framework.

He also said financial sustainability represents another critical challenge that requires attention that limits the ability to contribute meaningfully to partnership activities, creating relationships that can appear more charitable than collaborative in nature.

Cultural barriers

“Language and cultural barriers, while often overlooked in strategic planning, create significant obstacles to deep collaboration. The linguistic diversity across Africa, combined with the growing importance of Mandarin proficiency for meaningful engagement with Chinese institutions, creates communication challenges that affect everything, from research collaboration to student integration,” he said.

“Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive strategic framework that moves beyond project-based thinking toward institutional transformation and systemic change. As leaders, we must champion initiatives that create lasting institutional capacity while fostering genuine partnership based on mutual benefit and shared responsibility.”

Collaborative and regional partnerships

Donkor said the development of integrated infrastructure partnerships represents a fundamental shift from traditional aid models toward collaborative investment in shared research capacity.

Chinese universities, working in partnership with government agencies and private-sector partners, should establish comprehensive ‘sister institution’ relationships that include sustained infrastructure development, technology transfer, and capacity building.

He said joint degree programmes should become the norm rather than the exception, with students earning credentials recognised in both regions while developing the cross-cultural competencies essential for leadership in an interconnected world.

“The successful partnership between the Beijing Institute of Technology and the University of the Witwatersrand demonstrates how engineering programmes can combine Chinese technological expertise with African innovation needs to create graduates who are equipped to address challenges on both continents.

“The establishment of regional centres of excellence represents another strategic opportunity for enhancing partnerships. Rather than limiting collaboration to bilateral relationships between individual institutions, [we must create] regional networks that connect multiple African universities with Chinese partner institutions around shared thematic areas,” he added.

“Centres focusing on sustainable development, public health, agricultural innovation, and technology entrepreneurship can serve multiple countries while creating economies of scale that make sustained collaboration more feasible.”

He said technology transfer and innovation partnerships must evolve beyond the provision of simple equipment to comprehensive programmes to build local innovation capacity.

Donkor said the Huawei ICT Academy programme was present in over 300 universities across Africa, fostering local expertise while addressing continental development needs, and suggested that similar models should be developed across multiple sectors.

Universities in Africa and China paired to collaborate

A report presented on the exchange mechanism between Chinese and African universities said another round of pairing involving institutions from both regions was concluded in April 2024 through a competitive selection process.

Comfort Yeboah, the AAU’s partnerships officer, who presented the report, said 63 African universities from 23 countries and 50 Chinese institutions were involved in the pairing process. In some instances, some Chinese universities have been paired with two African institutions.

She said the pairing is done according to an institution’s speciality – such as agriculture, health or technology – for purposes of collaborating.

Other areas of China-Africa cooperation

From 10-12 June 2025, the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the implementation of FOCAC reviewed progress since 2024.

It said joint laboratories were launched between China and 10 African countries and that memoranda of understanding on educational cooperation had been signed with five African countries, including Guinea-Bissau and Zimbabwe.

A statement on the progress added that a China-Africa publishing association would also be established.

In addition, the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance; the China-Nigeria Joint Laboratory for Soil and Water Conservation and Agricultural Sustainable Development; the China-Rwanda Joint Laboratory for Crop Pest Sustainable Management; and the China-Burundi Joint Laboratory for Arthropod-Transmitted Animal Disease Prevention and Control, as well as the China-Africa Cooperation Center for Perennial Rice Technology had been established.

A total of 33 educational institutions from 13 African nations also joined the China-Africa Technical and Vocational Education and Training, or TVET, cooperation consortium.

The first China-Africa regional development centre for ‘Chinese + TVET’ was established, and the first centre for digital education was set up. In addition, workshops and schools were built or upgraded in Benin and Rwanda.