A report by The Lygon Group, commissioned by Universities Australia, suggests that by 2050, the nations of sub-Saharan Africa will be the “new China and perhaps India” – Australia’s current top two sources for international students.

“Meanwhile, the continent of Africa is projected to change in the opposite direction with a steady growth in the percentage of working-age people,” the report reads.

“Education will be key to ensuring the continent’s trajectory is to achieve the goal of ‘getting rich before it gets old’.”