Seize the Day

By+Cyril+Boat

i have been living in Beijing for the past three years and it is impossible not to notice the large numbers of African students coming to study in China， myself included. These are interesting times for African students seeking higher education opportunities outside the continent.

In 2000， there were about 2，000 African students in China. Fast forward to 2015， that number is now 50，000. That is more than the number of African students in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. And why are African students heading to China？ The most common answer is China is offering more government scholarships to African students. But what if I were to tell you that most African students in China are not studying here on a scholarship？

And even if they were on scholarships， China has been offering scholarships to African students since the 1950s. So clearly， there must be other reasons why African students are coming to China. From looking at other articles and informal surveys on this topic， these are some of the reasons I have found. First， African students see a distinct advantage in schooling in China， a fast growing country. Second， they can avoid the sometimes oppressive visa regimes of countries like the U.S. and United Kingdom while still accessing world-class facilities at Chinese universities. Third， African students find that they can combine exploring future business opportunities with their studies. Last but not the least， there are employment opportunities with Chinese companies which are spreading out to invest in Africa and require African students who speak Mandarin as part of their job requirements.

A somewhat unconventional path is that African students starting businesses can create jobs both in China and Africa. This idea is thought-provoking because China is at the stage where Chinese entrepreneurs have the financial muscle to invest in other continents. Conversely， African economies have a lot of young people who can be both a resource pool of skilled workers and a potential market. A combination of these two should be fertile ground for future global companies. What is lacking is that critical bridge between Chinese investors and the reality on the ground in Africa. Mandarin speaking African students with in-depth knowledge of their countries and working knowledge of Chinese culture could fill the gap. Already， countries like Ethiopia， Senegal， Rwanda and Nigeria have set up huge industrial parks to attract Chinese investors in droves. These new companies will need suppliers and businesses on the ground to handle basic services and they will need people who understand their culture. Those are the opportunities for growing the global businesses from China to Africa.

Personally， I can see many opportunities for this especially when one considers the fact that most African students in Beijing are entrepreneurially inclined even though the majority of them are studying the major of engineering and science. And at some events in China， I interacted with some students and former students who have already ventured out on this entrepreneurial path. Their zeal and enthusiasm are phenomenal. And before I start a “brain drain” debate， note that unlike the U.S. and Europe， most African students will and have returned home from China after their studies.

The question that still lingers in my mind though is whether this trend of African students studying in China dramatically changes the development trajectory of the continent？ Or will it still leave the continent in dire need of the requisite manpower， while the best brains toil in other countries？