Is China winning the (hearts and) minds of African students?

“China is winning over the future of Africa” goes another headline.

Is this the real story?

According to data compiled by Michigan State University, China has now become a more popular destination for African students than the US or the UK. The image to the right from Bloomberg coverage seems to confirm this.

An article in The Conversation by MSU scholars Virginia Breeze and Nathan Moore explains the “dramatic increase … in part by the Chinese government’s targeted focus on African human resource and education development.” This targeted focus is a reality and their data confirm that Africans are taking advantage of this focus.

However, is it true that China is now way ahead of “the West”?

A chart on African students studying abroad by destination country in Breeze and Moore’s article makes for a more interesting comparison.

France appears still to be, far and away, the biggest draw for the hearts and minds of African students. FrancAfrique lives on!

A h/t to Libby Holmes.