In the Nordic countries, there is a long tradition of involvement in higher education in Africa. This involvement has often been linked with and supported by the different Nordic Development Agencies, based on an overall goal of strengthening research capacity in the Global South. Based on two projects that both focus on enhancing research capacity through educating PhD-students in West-Africa, I will give examples and discuss this type of international collaboration. Focus is on how collaboration in a Global North/Global South setting interacts with knowledge production and the long-term perspective of research capacity building.