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Transnational higher education (TNHE) has been growing rapidly, bringing with it high hopes and expectations of benefits for sending and host countries. With its fast economic development and population growth and the resulting increase in demand for quality higher education, Africa is becoming an emerging market for TNHE activities in various forms, including international branch campuses (IBCs).
By focusing on the case of Malaysian university branch campuses in four African countries (Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho and Sierra Leone), this chapter gives an overview of the current scope of Limkokwing University of Creative Technology’s activities in Africa and explores the primary motivation factors driving this university to enter the African market.
The chapter highlights the predominance of neoliberal motives for Limkokwing’s expansion in Africa and a niche market approach of the university in choosing host countries, which secures easy market entry and revenue generation. In addition, the findings suggest the growing role of university branding and personal connections at the leadership level as motivational factors, which affect the decision-making process of universities while branching out to new markets. Finally, the chapter urges further research on Malaysia and other new entrants to the African education market and their impact (both benefits and risks) on host countries. From a broader academic perspective, this study contributes to the emerging debate on the diversification of Africa’s education landscape.