The Rise of Regional Higher Education Hubs in Africa

Africa is producing its own higher education hubs, and that's starting to reshape how students across the continent make decisions about where to study. In this episode of Higher Ed Chats, host Scott Miller speaks with Amo Kubeyinje, Director of International Admissions at Canisius University and a returning guest from Episode 27, about the countries gaining ground as regional study destinations and the deeper forces driving that shift. International student recruitment strategies built around the old Western-or-nothing assumption are increasingly out of step with what's actually happening on the ground.

The conversation starts with history. For decades, Francophone African students defaulted to France; Anglophone students looked to the UK and US. Those ties were colonial in origin, and they shaped mobility patterns long after independence. But that's changing. South Africa remains the dominant intra-African destination, while Rwanda, Kenya, and Ghana are building real momentum. Rwanda's case is particularly striking: President Kagame's policy-driven investment in higher education has drawn in Carnegie Mellon University and laid the groundwork for Africa University, turning what was a smaller player into a serious contender. As Amo puts it: "Africa needs smart partnerships. Africa is open for business."

There's also a practical segmentation happening that's easy to miss. Graduate students tend to gravitate toward South Africa's research infrastructure. Undergraduate students are increasingly choosing Ghana. Understanding that distinction matters if you're thinking about how to recruit international students across different academic levels from Sub-Saharan markets.

The episode's sharpest argument, though, is about brain drain. "When students go abroad, the attraction of working for major companies and earning higher wages makes it very difficult for these students to come back and help develop Africa." That dynamic, which parallels what China and India experienced in earlier decades, is part of what's making African policymakers and educators invest in local quality. The case isn't just economic, it's principled. As Amo argues, African universities are best positioned to prepare students to solve African problems.

The barriers are real: uneven quality assurance, funding gaps, infrastructure constraints, and the stubborn perception that a Western degree carries more prestige. None of those disappear quickly. But the trajectory is clear, and for enrollment teams with Africa in their recruitment mix, ignoring these regional hubs is a miscalculation worth revisiting.

At roughly eight minutes, this is a focused, direct conversation.

Who’s in the episode?

Amo Kubeyinje is the Director of Graduate Admissions and International Recruitment at Canisius University in Buffalo, New York. Amo was born in Nigeria before emigrating to the U.S. With 20 years of experience in higher education, Amo is an expert enrollment management professional with a recruitment focus on diversity and multiculturalism.

Scott Miller is the host of Keystone Higher Ed Chats and the Executive Director of Keystone's international division, bringing over 11 years of EdTech experience to conversations about global education.

After graduating from DePauw University, living and working in different cultures showed him that stepping outside your comfort zone doesn't just broaden your horizons; it reshapes them entirely. That belief in the transformative power of international experiences brought Scott to Keystone in 2010, where he's spent over a decade (and counting) helping higher education institutions reach students worldwide.

On Keystone Higher Ed Chats, Scott speaks with thought-leaders in the industry about what he's most passionate about: how education changes lives, how cultural experiences broaden perspectives at any age, and how Keystone's mission—connecting students with their ideal higher education institution—makes those life-changing moments possible.

Timestamps & Takeaways

Timestamps

Takeaways

Segment Africa by academic level, not as a single recruiting territory
Amo Kubeyinje's analysis makes clear that destination preferences differ by degree level: graduate students tend to go to South Africa, while undergraduates gravitate toward Ghana. Recruitment teams treating Sub-Saharan Africa as one homogeneous market are likely missing this split. Messaging and channel strategies built around level-specific migration patterns will land better than generic region-wide outreach.

Rwanda's higher ed growth is policy-driven, not accidental
President Kagame's active investment in higher education, including attracting Carnegie Mellon University to open a campus there, makes Rwanda worth watching as a partnership and recruitment territory. This isn't organic growth, it's a deliberate national strategy. Institutions exploring African partnerships should factor in countries where government commitment is backing institutional development.

Brain drain shapes how African students and families evaluate study decisions
As Kubeyinje put it, "the complaints a lot of times here is that when students go abroad, the attraction of working for major companies and earning higher wages makes it very difficult for these students to come back." This is a live concern for families and policymakers, not just academics. Institutions marketing to African students need to understand they're entering a conversation about identity and return, not just degrees.

Intra-African study is gaining ground as a principled choice, not just an affordable one
Kubeyinje argued that "Africans need to school in Africa to understand the African problems, and who are the ones to teach that, the African universities." The shift toward regional hubs isn't purely driven by cost or access, there's a values-based dimension that mirrors what happened in China and India as those countries scaled up their own systems. Institutions competing for African-origin students should understand this shift is structural, and it's not reversing.

The hardest barrier isn't funding, it's perception
On top of infrastructure and quality assurance challenges, Kubeyinje was direct: "there's lingering perceptions about Western superiority in education that are very hard to overcome." For African universities trying to attract students who'd otherwise look abroad, the reputational gap is the toughest problem. For Western institutions monitoring intra-African competition, it's worth noting that cost alone won't explain enrollment trends, brand perception still carries serious weight.

Africa's openness to partnerships is the message enrollment teams should act on
Kubeyinje closed with a clear signal: "Africa needs smart partnerships. Africa is open for business." Partnership development teams at international universities have a genuine opening, whether that's dual-degree programs, satellite campuses, or articulation agreements with regional hubs in Rwanda, Kenya, or Ghana. The window for building these relationships is now, before the market consolidates around the early movers.

Higher Ed Chats

April 23, 2026

27 minutes

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The Rise of Regional Higher Education Hubs in Africa

Who’s in the episode?

Amo Kubeyinje

Scott Miller

Timestamps & Takeaways

Timestamps

Takeaways

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