It's been like this for years, with the exception of a couple of years where they bonded cadets for 5 or 6 years with an upfront payment of 5.000 euro. It has worked for many for maybe 15 years? Maybe more? It isn't nice, but as I've said somewhere else I am confident aviation will start recovering.
As for flying in Africa, you might want to look at the current minimum requirements for foreigners.