Universities are targeting countries in West and North Africa where they see large numbers of students suitable to study in the UK.
These institutions believe that the UK has a strong reputation as a study abroad destination, enough to attract students from non-traditional markets in Africa where English is not widely spoken or used in schools.
As a result, universities and recruitment agencies are targeting countries such as Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Gabon, Morocco and Algeria as entry points, partly influenced by French universities under Campus France, which announced a strategic change in 2023 to diversify their sending markets into English-speaking Africa.
Recruiters say recent trends in student mobility indicate an increasing number of French-speaking African students seeking study opportunities in English-speaking destinations, particularly the United States and Canada.
“Policy changes and economic developments are driving an increase in English-taught courses in French-speaking countries as the use of English is recognised as essential to fully participate in today’s global economy,” said Emma Tarrant Taille, director of international education company Graduate Guidance Group (G3).
While the number of students from French-speaking Africa studying in the UK is small, higher education institutions such as the Grand Bassam International University in Côte d’Ivoire are producing English-speaking graduates keen to explore international opportunities, she said.
“Through conversations with local stakeholders, we found that a complete lack of promotion by UK universities is leading to students seeking other options. The lack of local promotion and local support for students interested in the UK is leading to the notion that enrolling in the UK and obtaining a student visa is a complicated process,” she told The PIE News at an alumni event organised by her company in Nairobi, Kenya on September 10.
“We therefore decided there was an opportunity for UK universities to invest in attracting students from these countries through school and college visits and hosting open exhibitions,” she added.
The lack of promotional efforts by UK universities has led students to pursue other options.
Emma Tarrant Tayou, G3
She said the British Embassy is equally supportive of the initiative, which complements the provision of Chevening scholarships to students from Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Morocco.
“We have also invested in staff based in Côte d’Ivoire and Gabon to provide ongoing support to students as they go through the application and visa process,” Tayou revealed.
Difficulty in obtaining UK government-approved English language and tuberculosis tests has forced some students to travel across borders to access suitable tests, while some are having to travel to neighbouring countries to expedite their visa appointments or processing.
“For example, students from Côte d’Ivoire choose to travel to Accra to apply for their visas as they only have four days a month to submit their applications in Abidjan,” she noted.
G3 has partnered with local English schools in Gabon and opened an office in the capital, Libreville, to offer English courses, testing and advice on university admissions.
Tayou said: “We have presented this proposition to students in these countries and have seen a positive response from both students and parents. We invite universities to join us in visits to these new markets to further stimulate demand.”
She added that while African students are interested in all levels of study, from undergraduate to masters and doctoral, there is more interest in undergraduate studies in French-speaking countries, with the middle class and elite choosing to enrol their children in international schools offering British, American, French and IB curricula.
Despite their relatively high costs, British universities remain attractive to African students due to the quality of their teaching, the support they provide to students and their reputation for developing students into “critical thinkers”.
To remain attractive, Tayou suggested universities would need to increase their support for students from new markets, particularly countries where they are not represented or where students struggle with “procedural challenges in arriving and settling in the UK”.
Michael Ijayemakinde, international officer at the University of Kent, said the university had already received interest from countries where both English and French are spoken, including Morocco, Senegal, Algeria and Cameroon.
He said the UK is known for its “educational talent”, making it easier for universities to attract a diverse student body from both English-speaking and French-speaking parts of Africa. He suggested that applying for a visa to the UK is a “simple process” compared to other Big 4 destinations, which he believes makes the destination attractive.
“The education that the UK offers is respected all over the world. For Francophone Africa, all we need to know is how to navigate the market. The only concern many have is the cost and if we can charge close to what French universities charge, we will easily capture the market,” he said.
“The number of applicants from French-speaking Africa is slowly growing, as are the numbers from the Middle East. I don’t think language is that big a barrier for people who want to study in the UK,” he added.
He said this was especially true given that the university already hosts students from non-English-speaking Asian countries such as Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Cambodia and China.
The UK education we offer is respected around the world. Francophone Africa just needs to know how to navigate the market.
Michael Ijayemakinde, University of Kent
The University of Southampton has begun expanding into French-speaking countries by beginning to explore the Moroccan market, where it believes there is already a market, said Nadia Gabr, international recruitment manager for Africa.
She explained that the university has students from 135 countries and is a “very inclusive” institution, and recruiting students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds is part of its strategy.
Cardiff Metropolitan University, meanwhile, is targeting the West African countries of Senegal, Ivory Coast and Cameroon, where there are already a number of international bilingual schools, said Dave Omiunu, international student recruitment officer.
But to get into the university, which has some of the most employable students in Wales, students had to achieve the international benchmark of 6.0 on the ILETS English proficiency test, among other qualifications, he said.
According to Lorna Morris, regional recruitment manager at the University of Warwick, the key to gaining a foothold in the market lies in what strategies UK universities adopt. Morris believes the secret lies in providing adequate information to prospective students.
