The strategy will result in more study exchange programmes, encouraging “more African young people come to study in Denmark for shorter or longer durations”, according to the strategy document, published on August 26.
The document does not specify how many more students from Africa it expects to come to Denmark, and does not set out a timeframe in which the study programmes will be established.
It said: “Denmark and the EU must give higher priority to exchange programmes, so that more African students can study in Denmark and Europe. This can have a great impact on strengthening ties between the countries.
“Exchange and education programmes create mutual understanding and strengthen human relations. We must build on the special tradition Denmark has for a strong and vibrant youth culture, with young people as the driving force.”
The Danish government hopes that strengthening ties with countries in Africa will “contribute to making the EU a stronger and more effective actor in Africa and invest in concrete EU Global Gateway initiatives in a number of countries,” it said in the strategy document.
It explained that it hopes showing renewed interest in the region will help to curb the growing influence of Russia and China on some African nations.
“Should African countries move more in a Western-oriented direction? We believe that they should, but none of us can control the future engagement of China, Russia, or other countries on the African continent. Nor can we expect African countries to choose sides. But we can control how we position ourselves,” the strategy document said.
Denmark and the EU must give higher priority to exchange programmes, so that more African students can study in Denmark and Europe
Danish government
The announcement represents a continued openness to international students in Denmark, after the country called for universities to make more international places available in December.
It marked a stark policy u-turn given that the Scandinavian country had moved to cap student numbers on English-taught programs just two years previously.
The latest statistics show that there were 25,366 international student enrolments in Denmark in 2023/23, with Germany the most prolific sending country. This is a dramatic 14.6% decrease on the previous year.