The Foreign Service Journal, September 2022

40 SEPTEMBER 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL In aggregate, across all func- tional and regional bureaus, USAID supports more than 12,000 learners annually with scholar- ships to study in the United States or their native country. The agency sees higher education investments as an integral part of a develop- ing country’s journey to self-reliance. It draws direct links between higher education investments (often referred to as a nation’s intellectual capital) and reductions in poverty, eco- nomic advances and overall sustainable development. USAID provides institutional capacity building through mechanisms such as the Higher Education Solutions Network, which sup- ports partnerships between the United States and host coun- tries to innovate and develop solutions for local development challenges. However, like IMET, the Higher Education Solutions Network needs improvements in internal data collection and clear higher educa- tion engagement objectives to be fully effective. Why It Matters Exchanges in higher education don’t just involve earning a degree. The experience is as much about cultural exchange as it is about the course of study. Students in an exchange program are often taught in a manner different than that found in their native country; they acquire transversal skills not normally found in traditional education programs, and they learn firsthand the traditions unique to the host culture. Exchange students often form lasting bonds with their classmates and develop diverse networks of colleagues and friends. These relationships form a sort of connective tissue between the exchange countries and serve as a basis for future collaboration and mutual understanding. The steadily growing utilization of online learning offers new challenges—but also new opportunities—for American institu- tions. From the standpoint of exchanges, the most significant immediate problemwith online education is loss of the immer- sive, in-person experience that is the heart and soul of these programs, as was proven with the sudden cessation of in-person exchanges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, as the State Department has shown over the past two years (see “In-Person Exchanges, Interrupted” by Deena Mansour, April 2021 FSJ ), a carefully developed program of personal exchanges can still achieve the desired connection and network so valued from the traditional exchange. The U.S. is well positioned to benefit from new developments in online education and its potential applica- tion in strategically engaging Africa. The importance of higher educa- tion investments is not missed in the burgeoning Sino–African relation- ship. In 2003, fewer than 1,300 African students were enrolled in Chinese universities. Fifteen years later, in 2018, the number of African students in China exceeded 80,000, according to data published by the PRC Ministry of Education. In context, this makes China the second-most popular destination for African students studying abroad, behind France. In opening remarks at the 2018 Forum of China-Africa Cooperation, Martin Mpana, Cameroon’s ambassador to China, revealed his hopes that African youth take advantage of study-abroad opportunities in China to “learn more about China and from the policies and development experience of the Communist Party of China.” The PRC’s outreach is made through Confucius Institutes, the country’s most potent mechanism for recruitment and influence at foreign universities. With a stated mission to share Chinese culture and language with the world, these institutes serve as a launch point for arranging people-to-people exchanges and influencing local perceptions of China and teachings related to issues deemed controversial. Over the past decade, China has established 60 Confucius Institutes at universities in 38 African countries. O ver the past decade, China has established 60 Confucius Institutes at universities in 38 African countries. Ms. Tambwe Safalani received the prestigious Royal Flame Award of Leadership in April 2020 for her commitment to the Georgia State University community and in recognition of her future leadership potential. COURTESYOFTAMBWESAFALANI