The values that steer India’s development cooperation — demand-driven, conditionality-free, and based on the principle of partnership among equals — are appreciated in Africa. But India’s model of development cooperation in Africa lacks a clear strategy.
In 2018, India’s Ministry of Human Resource and Development launched the ‘Study in India’ initiative to attract students from neighboring and African countries. Foreign students can choose from 1,500 courses being offered at the undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D. level by public and private institutions in India, and meritorious students could receive up to 100 percent fee waivers. However, the initiative has not been successful in attracting African students to India. Most foreign students who come to India only opt for the Indian Institutes of Technology through academic collaborations (and not the ‘Study in India’ program). Of the top ten countries with the greatest number of students in India (making up about 63.9 percent of all foreign students in the country), only two are African — Sudan, accounting for 4.5 percent of foreign students, and Nigeria, with a 3.4 percent share. Foreign student enrolment for higher education programs such as PhDs is also far lower than undergraduate programs, highlighting that India is not perceived as an appropriate destination for higher education and research
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