Worldwide EduConnect launches in Africa

Africa will become the youngest continent in the world by 2030.

The number of African students leaving their countries for higher education is rapidly growing- in 2017 over 370,000 travelled abroad

Kenya, September 2020: Worldwide EduConnect (formerly Maple Leaf EduConnect) has established a new office in Africa this month, to meet the increasing demands by clients for a presence in the continent. Located in Nairobi, Kenya, the office will run on similar model as the company’s operations in South Asia, and is expected to accelerate its growth in the region and provide the same standard of professional support to African students. The Africa office will be managed by Emmanuel Kung’u (Managing Director), who has over a decade of experience in international student recruitment, as well as Ivey Business School alumnus Manoj Mehta who comes on board as Director.

Africa is poised to become the fastest growing students’ market in coming years, says Vinay Chaudhry, founder and CEO of Worldwide EduConnect. With a combined population of over 1.2 billion and a median age of 20 years, the local education infrastructure has proved to be insufficient in catering to the needs of its students- a burgeoning potential that international education markets are eager to tap into. Georgian College is the first institution to come on board as a partner. “We are pleased to partner with Maple Leaf EduConnect in Africa,” said Kevin Weaver, Vice President (Academic). “This is an exciting venture and part of our ongoing strategy to build a strong Georgian brand in this dynamic, growing market.”

As the economy in Africa continues to grow, so will the demand for education, especially skills-based education. According to Victoria Steele, Assistant Director (International Market Development) at Brock University, “in seeking opportunities for post-secondary studies in Canada, Africa will be one of the leading recruitment markets during the 21st century with strong population and economic growth.”  Seeing the possibility for international student recruitment, Canadian post-secondary institutions like Brock University and Georgian College have been looking to set-up and expand their operations in Africa for some time. While public and private institutions have been actively recruiting international students from the continent, they are now looking to stabilize their operations in existing markets and expand into new ones.  King’s University College Vice-Principal (Enrolment Services and Strategic Partnerships) Marilyn Mason, has shown keen interest in this new initiative: “Kings’ and Maple Leaf EduConnect India have shared an excellent partnership for many years and we looking forward to extending our work together in this growing student market.”  

However, to venture into a new market is no easy task, especially in a continent this wide and diverse in its many cultures, languages and socio-economic environment. And with new restrictions this year on international travel, recruitment teams will likely find themselves unable to meet students and participate in events, as is the norm. WWEC, which has been recruiting international students from major markets such as Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa, realized all the more how important it was to establish a local presence in Africa.

Maple Leaf EduConnect Africa aims to help clients with experienced guidance and customized strategies to enter African countries. Institutions in partnership with MLEC Africa are likely to benefit from having in-country staff with local know-how, language benefit and market intelligence.

“This innovative hub model will enable collaboration and market penetration in ways not achieved in a traditional direct market approach,” adds Weaver. “We value working with a partner such as Worldwide (Maple Leaf ) EduConnect as they bring both expertise and insight into a high volume market with great demand for quality post-secondary education in Canada.” The sentiment echoes with Victoria Steel for whom, “[B]uilding on Brock’s previous success working with Maple Leaf in South Asia, it is the perfect time to launch operations in Africa and continue to build a strong foundation for sustainable and trusted growth together.”

About Worldwide EduConnect: Worldwide EduConnect (formerly Maple Leaf Educonnect) is a professional market-entry specialist firm headquartered in Canada. The company has been facilitating Canadian educational institutes and corporates with discovery and expansion into South Asia and Middle East for the past decade. With years of in-market expertise and local knowledge, WWEC ensures institutions are able to attain a stronghold in a particular region with their professional support and guidance. The company is currently working with 13 publicly funded institutions in Canada including 7 Universities, 5 Community Colleges and 1 Polytechnic. With MLEC Africa, the company will expand its footing beyond North America and Asia into Africa.