This study critically examined the nature, mechanisms, and durability of behavioral adaptation among African sojourners in Dubai, and assessed implications for cross-cultural policy transfer debates. Using a mixed-methods design, the research surveyed 847 current African sojourners in Dubai and 412 returnees across five African countries (Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Uganda) between January and October 2024, supplemented by 64 semistructured interviews. Quantitative measures assessed behavioral compliance across traffic, workplace, public conduct, and civic responsibility domains, alongside constructs measuring perceived enforcement intensity, fear of consequences, norm internalization, and intentions for behavioral maintenance. Results revealed substantial behavioral improvements among sojourners in Dubai compared to self-reported pre-migration baselines (mean composite change: +21.0 points on 100-point scale), but near-complete regression to original behavioral patterns among returnees (mean change: -17.4 points). Univariate analyses demonstrated significant differences across all behavioral domains (p