Does your friend have ancestry with the Sub Sahara Africa? Then, yes he can identify as Black. Has he identified himself as such before college apps such as in his school records?
I knew a family from Egypt who would in no way identify as Black but as Middle Eastern because of the ancestry. Another family that I knew were from Ethiopia and identified as Black because of their ancestry. It really depends.
But advise your friend not to identify as African American or Black unless it’s genuine. Ad counselors will see right through that.