{"id":3795,"date":"2026-02-11T12:34:48","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T12:34:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/ahe\/?p=3795"},"modified":"2026-02-11T15:41:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T15:41:12","slug":"africa-as-a-growing-study-destination-an-in-depth-look","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/africa-as-a-growing-study-destination-an-in-depth-look\/","title":{"rendered":"Africa as a Growing Study Destination: An In-Depth Look"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In a recent appearance on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.keg.com\/higher-ed-chats-podcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Keystone Higher Ed Chats Podcast<\/a>, Amo Kubeyinje \u2013\u00a0 Director of Graduate Admissions &amp; International Recruitment at Canisius University \u2013 discussed how there is an increasing focus on Higher Education throughout Africa. During which, he elaborated on a few key points:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">HE enrollment for African\u2019s aged 15-35 has more than doubled (4% to 9%) since the turn of the century.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There has been a subtly growing trend of students from outside of Africa choosing to study there, with a particular focus on niche subject areas.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Intra-African mobility is increasing \u2013 study destinations such as South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and Rwanda are successfully managing to capture interest from an audience that might have previously looked to Europe, North America, and Asia.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Today, we will investigate what our data reveals about Higher Education in Africa, from its most popular study destinations and largest audiences to its most valued attributes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Let\u2019s begin with the destinations that audiences are searching for.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div id=\"cn_1\">\n<h3 aria-level=\"3\">Where in Africa do students want to study?<\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">When tracking the searching habits of students across our platforms between May and July 2025, we see one very clear trend.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Audiences are drawn to\u00a0South Africa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It is the only African study destination in the top 20 globally by Share of Search, placing 19<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">th<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0\u2013 just ahead of Finland and just behind the United Arab Emirates. And, in fact, this becomes ever more evident when we reduce the search data to\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">only<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0those interested in an African study destination. You can see the results below:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"hs-embed-wrapper\" data-service=\"public.flourish\" data-script-embed=\"true\" data-responsive=\"true\">\n<div class=\"hs-embed-content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-chart\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-src=\"visualisation\/24869493\"><iframe title=\"Interactive or visual content\" src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/24869493\/embed?auto=1\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-scripts allow-downloads allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Yes,\u00a0South Africa\u00a0currently accounts for\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">slightly<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0more than half of all searches for African study, and what is particularly interesting here, is where those searches are coming from.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">We discussed in the introduction how Africa as a whole is excelling at increasing intra-African mobility. However, none of South Africa\u2019s three largest audiences are African, as you can see for yourself below:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"hs-embed-wrapper\" data-service=\"public.flourish\" data-script-embed=\"true\" data-responsive=\"true\">\n<div class=\"hs-embed-content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-chart\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-src=\"visualisation\/24869698\"><iframe title=\"Interactive or visual content\" src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/24869698\/embed?auto=1\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-scripts allow-downloads allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Despite\u00a0South Africa clearly succeeding in attracting African interest\u00a0\u2013 as evidenced by half of their 20 largest audiences being African \u2013 its reach goes much further.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Singapore, the\u00a0USA, and\u00a0China collectively account for over 20% of all searches\u00a0for by themselves, while also inside the top 10, we find Germany (3.17%), the UK (2.65%), and France (2.49%).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Attracting interest from both inside and outside the continent is clearly a healthy position to be in. But which destination from across Africa is succeeding the most in attracting study interest?<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h3 aria-level=\"3\">Where do we see growth?<\/h3>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\">Below is a bar chart of the five African destinations that experienced the largest growth in interest between April and July this year. There is a pattern, can you spot it?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"hs-embed-wrapper\" data-service=\"public.flourish\" data-script-embed=\"true\" data-responsive=\"true\">\n<div class=\"hs-embed-content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-chart\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-src=\"visualisation\/24871299\"><iframe title=\"Interactive or visual content\" src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/24871299\/embed?auto=1\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-scripts allow-downloads allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">With a 58% rise in interest,\u00a0Botswana\u00a0leads the way for African study destinations in recent months, and with a steady 10% rise,\u00a0Morocco\u00a0rounds out our list. Then f<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">rom 2<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">nd<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0to 4<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">th<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0we have\u00a0Namibia,\u00a0Ghana, and\u00a0Nigeria. All of which have seen at least a 28% rise in interest. All of which are\u00a0West African. It would therefore appear that West Africa is the up-and-comer with regards to African HE.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This pattern continues when we expand our parameters. Collectively,\u00a0all West African study destinations have seen\u00a025% growth\u00a0in the same time period. This is much greater than the growth figures we see for any other African region.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">But why might that be? What is it that audiences value in African HE, and how does it compare to other study destinations globally?<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 aria-level=\"3\">What do audiences value in African HE?<\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">We ask our survey respondents to rank a series of factors related to their choice of study destination on a scale of \u2018very good\u2019 to very poor\u2019. It helps us understand the prevailing sentiment that our audiences have towards their study destination, and can highlight strengths of an education system \u2013 as well as areas that could be addressed.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Below, we see the percentage of respondents that selected \u2018very good\u2019 for each factor, broken down by audiences looking to study in Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"hs-embed-wrapper\" data-service=\"public.flourish\" data-script-embed=\"true\" data-responsive=\"true\">\n<div class=\"hs-embed-content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-chart\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-src=\"visualisation\/24869391\"><iframe title=\"Interactive or visual content\" src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/24869391\/embed?auto=1\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-scripts allow-downloads allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>We see that African destinations are\u00a0relatively comparable\u00a0with regards to\u00a0positive sentiment around visa &amp; entry requirements\u00a0and\u00a0affordability. However, they lag behind on reputation, safety and subject choice. The challenge here may be more to do with\u00a0awareness of what Africa offers\u00a0than with the offer itself.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As Mr. Kubeyinje detailed,\u00a0Africa already appeals to students who are aware of its unique subject offerings:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cI wouldn\u2019t call it a surge\u2026but we\u2019re certainly seeing more students from Europe and Asia enrolling at African universities, in particular in niche fields like tropical medicine or renewable energy\u201d &#8211; w<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">hich highlights the demand from prospective students from outside of Africa that are drawn to the continent to study distinctive, in some cases unique, subject areas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><span lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\">Alongside that, we see more African universities featured in global rankings every year &#8211;\u00a0including institutions such as Kafrelsheikh University and\u00a0Mansoura University who are trending up those rankings &#8211; and both their staff and alumni consistently achieve remarkable feats across a wide array of fields, as Nobel Prizes in Literature, Physiology or Medicine, Chemistry, and Peace can attest to.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\">Leaning into these\u00a0areas\u00a0may help universities\u00a0bridge the\u00a0perceived\u00a0gap\u00a0between\u00a0African\u00a0institutions\u00a0in comparison to\u00a0those from Europe, North America, and Asia \u2013 particularly with regards to\u00a0academic reputation and distinctive subject areas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\">Our data shows that interest in Africa is increasing and diversifying &#8211; one of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.keg.com\/news\/inspecting-the-asian-tigers-search-and-sentiment-in-each-destination\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">several stories<\/a>\u00a0highlighting changing destinations in a changing in a shifting international education landscape.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a recent appearance on\u00a0the Keystone Higher Ed Chats Podcast, Amo Kubeyinje \u2013\u00a0 Director of Graduate Admissions &amp; International Recruitment at Canisius University \u2013 discussed how there is an increasing focus on Higher Education throughout Africa. During which, he elaborated on a few key points:\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-african-university-news","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3795"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3799,"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3795\/revisions\/3799"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}