Every year, tens of thousands of Nigerians leave the shores of Nigeria for functional educational systems overseas and the allure of a better standard of living and clear career path.
Every year, tens of thousands of Nigerians leave the shores of Nigeria for functional educational systems overseas and the allure of a better standard of living and clear career path.
Nigeria is the number one country of origin for international students from Africa, and outbound mobility numbers are growing at a rapid pace.
The Strong Drive To Study Overseas
According to data from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) Institute of Statistics (UIS), the number of Nigerian students abroad increased by 164 percent in the decade between 2005 and 2015 alone–from 26,997 to 71,351. Currently, this figure has increased to over 100,000 Nigerians studying abroad.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the United States recorded 463 million USD (192.3 billion NGN) from Nigeria’s international students alone in 2020. This is the equivalent of approximately 4% of Nigeria’s national budget of 4.79 trillion in the same year.
Popular countries of choice for international students globally of which Nigerian students are no exception are the USA, UK, China, Canada, Australia, France, Russia, Germany, Japan and Spain.
In 2020, Icef Monitor reported that along with popular regional hubs, the top destinations were:
- The US, with 15,980 students in early 2019
- Malaysia, with roughly 13,000 in 2019
- Canada, with 11,985 in 2019
- The UK, with 10,540 in 2017/18
The overall number of Nigerian students enrolling to study in the UK universities declined from 18,020 in 2013/14 to 10,540 in 2017/18 (a 41% decrease).
Meanwhile, there has been an upward trend since 2018. The number of Nigerians wanting to study in the UK increased from 1,620 in 2021 t0 2,380, recording a 47% increase year-on-year and 68.9% from 2018. Other countries outside of these that want to carve a consistent share of Nigerian students for themselves include Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine.
A Myriad of Subsisting Challenges
An assessment by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on foreign exchange demand for payments shows Nigerians spent over 28 billion USD on foreign education between 2010 and 2020. With the prevailing low investment in education by the Nigerian government, this figure is likely to increase in subsequent years.
While this is in part because of Nigeria under-funding its tertiary institutions, universities abroad, supported by their government, continue to make new policies and offer incentives to international students, especially Nigerians.
Nigeria’s budget for education has averaged around 8.3% of the national budget and fluctuated between 1.86% and about 1.94%, figures which are abysmally low compared to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) benchmark for funding education of 26% of national budget and 6% of the gross domestic product (GDP) respectively.
Takeaway
As the underlying challenges that encourage the outflow of students in Nigeria persist, young Nigerians are likely to continue moving out in drones. Underfunding, perennial industrial strikes, poor infrastructure and high rate of unemployment continue to undermine the educational sector and growth in the economy.
Forecasts predict the number may double by 2030 as more countries offer scholarships, incentives and packages similar to Canada’s “Nigerian Student Express”, which was set up in 2020 to improve processing time for study permit applicants in Nigeria.
For most Nigerians, leaving Nigeria to have a better learning experience and improved standard of living will continue to be major enablers. It’s a key reason Canada has now surpassed the UK in its numbers of Nigerians enrolled in Canadian universities.
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