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Sustainability of China’s Educational Cooperation in West Africa Implications for Human Capital Development in the Post-Focac Era


Authors : Eugenia Chinenye Ndukwe

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 3 - March


Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/6zzdu248

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/mrywb5x2

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26mar2020

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.


Abstract : The education cooperation between China and Africa has increased tremendously in the post-FOCAC period, and it is now far beyond the focus on infrastructure and small scholarships to include various programme packages to aid education, capacity building and human capital. This paper is based on the current academic sources and policy reports on the educational cooperation of China in Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal. It questions the success of the educational strategy of FOCAC in that it evaluates the efforts of the Chinese government on the set-up of the Confucius Institutes, vocational education programmes and the provision of the government scholarships. It has been found that the three countries have gained through the increased access to educational opportunities, but the extent and the sustainability of the outcomes is quite different because of the differences in local rules and regulations, institutional capacity and priorities of national development. The research finds that the educational diplomacy of China has significant skills development opportunities, yet it should be more responsive to the local labour market demands, should monitor the outcomes better, and develop the curriculum in cooperation with the local authorities to maintain the sustainability in the long term.

Keywords : China-Africa Cooperation, Educational Diplomacy, FOCAC, Human Capital Development, Soft Power, South-South Cooperation, Sustainability.

References :

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The education cooperation between China and Africa has increased tremendously in the post-FOCAC period, and it is now far beyond the focus on infrastructure and small scholarships to include various programme packages to aid education, capacity building and human capital. This paper is based on the current academic sources and policy reports on the educational cooperation of China in Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal. It questions the success of the educational strategy of FOCAC in that it evaluates the efforts of the Chinese government on the set-up of the Confucius Institutes, vocational education programmes and the provision of the government scholarships. It has been found that the three countries have gained through the increased access to educational opportunities, but the extent and the sustainability of the outcomes is quite different because of the differences in local rules and regulations, institutional capacity and priorities of national development. The research finds that the educational diplomacy of China has significant skills development opportunities, yet it should be more responsive to the local labour market demands, should monitor the outcomes better, and develop the curriculum in cooperation with the local authorities to maintain the sustainability in the long term.

Keywords : China-Africa Cooperation, Educational Diplomacy, FOCAC, Human Capital Development, Soft Power, South-South Cooperation, Sustainability.

Paper Submission Last Date
30 - April - 2026

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