A new strategy from the Danish government involves targets for the number of international students from Africa.

Denmark wants more African students to choose the Nordic country for their education in an effort to boost Danish soft power on the African continent, according to a new government strategy.

By experiencing Danish culture and university life, African students can become soft power advocates for Denmark according to the government strategy.

Specifically, the government wants around 230 African international students to come to Denmark every year for the next eight years. The plan is part of the government’s broader Africa Strategy, which was first presented last year.

“It is clearly in our interest that African countries look towards Europe when considering their future paths. With this new programme we are not just investing in education, but in relations that build an important bridge between Denmark and Africa,” Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in a statement.

The programme will also strengthen ties between Danish and African universities.

Denmark’s government is spending 430 million kroner over the next eight years on the project, which has the longer-term objective of boosting Danish interests on a continent where superpowers China and Russia have become increasingly influential.

Europe must also act to counter declining global influence resulting from its shrinking population size and economy, Løkke said.

African students will be eligible for scholarships covering education and living expenses in Denmark under the plan.

They will also be able to apply for a number of the EU’s Erasmus study exchange programmes.

Minister for Higher Education and Science Christina Egelund said she hopes Danish students will also head to Africa.

“Africa has enormous potential, which we can help unlock through education. By 2050, a third of the world’s youth will live in Africa, and the continent’s geopolitical importance is growing rapidly,” she said in the statement.

The programme will be managed by the Danida Fellowship Centre, a self-governing institution under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (The Local Denmark)