The war in Ukraine has displaced more than 16,000 African students – 25% of the international student population in Ukraine – who were pursuing graduate and undergraduate education in the country. Their evacuation from the country was fraught, and their study prospects for the coming academic year are in limbo. While most of them were highly motivated and ambitious students in STEM and health fields, the conflict left many actively looking for a place to continue their education at a global college or university. Meanwhile, hopes of families that banked their household income on the attainment of an affordable European degree and its door-opening possibilities have been dashed as the Ukraine conflict continues, immigration rules for non- Ukrainians across Europe start to force students to make hard choices, and students who were poised to transform their fortunes now risk becoming refugees. Against this backdrop, Issues, this is a discussion among stakeholders involved in different aspects of the response to Ukraine. Panelists include Ms. Isha Sesay, the CEO of OkayMedia and acclaimed journalist, Macire Aribot, Founder of NoirUnited, an advocacy platform for African students displaced in Ukraine; Dr. Rajika Bhandari, international higher education expert and Dr. Adebayo Akande, Chairman and President of the University of Health Sciences Antigua; Emily London- Jones, Vice President of Enrollment Management, Miles College; Eltahir Ali, 5th-year medical student at Dnipro Medical Institute of Traditional and Non-traditional Medicine (Ukraine).
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