In early July, Gabon’s President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema said the country would stop granting new scholarships for students to study in France, the United States or Canada from 2026. The move mirrors Nigeria’s June decision to suspend its Bilateral Education Agreement program — a reciprocal academic exchange scheme — for five years. Earlier in 2024, President Bola Tinubu’s government also cut funding for Nigerian researchers and academics seeking training abroad.

These policy shifts have reignited debate over the real value of international scholarships for African countries: are they a drain on public finances, or an underused strategic tool?

African governments are increasingly questioning the value of state-funded scholarships for foreign study as a persistent brain drain costs the continent billions and leaves domestic sectors understaffed.

For many young Africans, winning a scholarship abroad has long been seen as a mark of success, offering access to higher-quality training in science, medicine, and technical fields. Yet few return after their studies. UNESCO notes that Africa produces thousands of researchers each year who end up working overseas, while the World Health Organization estimates that about a quarter of doctors trained on the continent now practice abroad.

Governments are essentially funding talent that, for rational reasons, serves other economies. The costs are immense: A 2023 UNCTAD report estimated annual losses from brain drain at nearly $4 billion, a figure that includes public investment in education and lost revenue in health services, research, and administration. This reality fuels frustration among policymakers and highlights a structural imbalance in which skills migrate to the Global North while market access remains restricted.

Unattractive Conditions Hinder Return

Returning to work on the continent after studying abroad is a difficult choice for most. The primary deterrent is often economic, with a stark salary gap. Available data shows that a specialist physician can earn between $7,000 and $9,500 monthly in North America or Europe, compared with about $400 to $600 in many West and Central African states. A newly graduated engineer may command $4,500 per month in industrialized nations but rarely $1,000 in African economies. Similarly, a PhD-holding research professor earns between $500 and $800 monthly in local public universities, compared with $3,500 to $6,000 abroad.

Beyond the income gap, poor working conditions in many African public sectors present a major hurdle for retaining talent. A June 2025 quick report by Senegalese think tank Wathi noted that West African universities routinely face power outages, outdated equipment, and insufficient research budgets. Research faculty often manage overcrowded classrooms without adequate support, degrading both their professional and personal lives.

The health sector faces similar difficulties. Hospitals often lack essential equipment, and infrastructure is generally undersized, creating a stressful work environment. A 2022 quantitative study in Benin showed that nurses in some regions work under difficult conditions, sometimes with insufficient equipment and an overburdened health system.

Furthermore, the African job market struggles to absorb qualified professionals. The unemployment rate for young graduates in several Sub-Saharan African countries exceeds 30 percent, with underemployment rates far higher, according to the ILO (2023). Even in strategic sectors like health and technology, opportunities are limited, often poorly paid, or concentrated in major cities. In this environment, returning home is a risky personal gamble rather than a logical career choice.

Reforming Scholarships, Not Scrapping Them

The question is whether to eliminate scholarships. The answer, experts suggest, is no. Academic mobility can remain an asset if it is structured with a clear strategy for return or skill transfer. The issue is not mobility itself, but the lack of a national plan to maximize its benefits. The debate should focus on the purpose and final goals of education policies, not merely a choice between openness and withdrawal.

Concrete alternatives are emerging to address this impasse. Strengthening local training centers would retain talent while ensuring an increase in skills. Partnerships with foreign universities can also yield positive effects without prolonged academic exile, notably through co-issued degrees, cross-border internships, or short-term mobility programs.

Some countries are experimenting with conditional scholarships. In these arrangements, beneficiaries sign a contract obligating them to return and work for a defined number of years, often in the public sector. For instance, some medical scholarships in Rwanda include a service obligation in public hospitals upon graduation. Ghana has similar provisions for state-funded or public university postdoctoral programs.

This moral and financial contract aims to guarantee a return on investment for the funding countries. Additionally, mobilizing the diaspora is a strategic resource. The Transfer of Knowledge Through Expatriate Nationals (TOKTEN) program, implemented with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), facilitates contributions from professionals living abroad without demanding their permanent return. Professionals participate through short missions, remote mentorship, or collaborative projects with local institutions. Many governments have also created platforms for scientific cooperation with their diaspora to encourage skill transfer in key areas like health, technology, and higher education.

These options, while imperfect, offer a more coherent path forward. The challenge is not to cut ties with the world, but to redefine the terms of exchange. Africa cannot afford to continue investing in education that primarily benefits other economies. It must view education as a tool of sovereignty, not just an individual opportunity. Rethinking scholarships means aligning them with the continent’s needs and reconciling personal ambition with collective interest.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou