Francophone Africa is ‘untapped market’ for UK, say agents

Francophone West Africa is an “untapped market” for United Kingdom universities, according to education agents working in the region, writes Helen Packer for The PIE News.

French is the official language of several West African countries, including Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Benin and Burkina Faso, but there is a growing demand and focus for English-language learning in many of these countries. New oil and gas projects are expected to boost the already fast-growing economies of both Senegal and the Ivory Coast and the countries are seeing significant investment from multinational companies, some of which operate in English.

Agents believe this will increase interest in studying abroad in Anglophone destinations, as young people want to improve their language and academic skills in order to secure jobs in these industries. But Jamie Hastings, director at MYiO education agency, believes the UK needs to do more to boost its brand presence in the region.
Full report on The PIE News site