Confucius Institutes and the Spread of Mandarin in Africa

 Global China Pulse published on 24 February 2025 an article titled "Confucius Institutes and the Spread of Mandarin Chinese in Africa" by Simbarashe Gukurume, Sol Plaatje University in South Africa. 

Some 16 African countries have incorporated Mandarin teaching in their national education systems and about 30 universities have established Chinese majors.  Confucius Institutes are important platforms for expanding not only Chinese language and culture, but also the world view, norms, values, and political philosophies of the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China.

China-Africa: Higher Education and Soft Power

 Nature published on 6 June 2024 an article titled "The Road to Soft Power Starts on Campus" by Rachel Nuwer, a freelance writer based in New York City.

In 2006, just 2 percent of China's international students came from Africa; by 2018, that percentage had risen to nearly 17 percent.  In 2018, the last year statistics are available, more that 80,000 Africans were enrolled in higher education in China.  Only France attracted more African students that year.

COVID-19 resulted in a reduction of African students in China due to the country's strict lockdown policies.  China has recently revived the scholarship program for Africans.  The article suggests that African students have had mixed experiences during their time in China.   

Articles on China's Presence in Africa

 Good Governance Africa published in June 2023 an edition with a series of articles on China's presence in Africa titled "Sovereignty in an Emerging Multipolar World."

The articles are:

--Chinese Media in South Africa: An Overview by Barry Van Wyk.

--Resuscitating Indigenous Languages through Translanguaging Pedagogy within the Evolution and Dynamics of Teaching Mandarin in Nigeria and South Africa by Philip Ademola Olayoku.

--Chinese Companies' Corporate Social Responsibility in the Eyes of Local Communities in Kenya: A Public diplomacy Approach by Cliff Mboya.

--Chinese Vloggers' Representations of Sub-Saharan Africa on Douyin: An Exploratory Study by Isak Wang and Ann Wang.

--The China Factor in Africa's Pursuit of Digital Sovereignty by Mandira Bagwandeen.

Transferring Technology from China to Africa

Africa Portal posted on 2 September 2019 a commentary titled "How Technical Knowledge Flows between China and Africa: It's Complicated" by Yu-Shan Wu.

The article stresess the importance of language and culture in successful technology transfer. It suggests there is still an understanding gap in the way Africans and Chinese think about each other.

Zambia Rolls Out Mandarin Program

Business Live posted on 30 May 2019 an article titled "Zambia Gets Schooled in Mandarin" by Alexander Mutale.

Zambia is preparing to roll out the largest Mandarin language program in Africa. While some claim it's a useful way of building economic cooperation, critics fear Chinese domination.

More Africans Learning Mandarin Add to China's Influence

CNN posted on 10 April 2019 a story titled "China's Influence in Africa Grows As More Young People Learn To Speak Mandarin" by Aanu Adeoye and Idris Mukhtar.

Increasingly, Mandarin is being taught in schools in Africa and on a part-time basis at Confucius Institutes, adding to China's influence on the continent. Nevertheless, only a tiny fraction of Africans speak Chinese as compared to French, English, Portuguese, and Arabic.

Is Chinese Joining Africa's Lingua Francas?

African Arguments posted on 25 June 2018 a commentary titled "'It Started as Hype': Chinese Spreads Fast in Africa as Language of Success" by Claire van den Heever, a journalist based in Cape Town.

The author concluded that Chinese is well on its way to finding a place among the lingua francas in Africa. Having just completed a five-country, three week trip to Africa looking specifically at the China-Africa relationship, I think this conclusion is premature.

While Chinese is being taught at more locations in Africa and more African students are studying in China, the number of Africans who speak Mandarin does not come close to the number that speaks Arabic, English, French, Portuguese or even African regional languages such as Swahili and Hausa. There are only 48 Confucius Institutes on African university campuses and 23 Confucius classrooms in high schools, where much of the Chinese is being taught. Some African countries have no Confucius Institute or classroom. Chinese may one day become widely spoken in Africa, but that time is decades away.

Teaching Chinese to Africans

Daouda Cisse, research fellow at the Centre for Chinese Studies at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, wrote on 11 September 2012 a short piece that looks at African interest in learning Chinese. He concludes that "why would Africans not want to learn Mandarin in this globalizing world?" He notes there are 27 Confucius Institutes and 3 classrooms in Africa for teaching Mandarin. By comparison, there are 87 Confucius Institutes and 205 classrooms in North America.


Click here to read his commentary.