Kila to Nigerian Universities: Recruit Foreign Students Aggressively for Revenue, Global Influence

Matilda Omonaiye/

Professor Anthony Kila has urged Nigerian universities to aggressively recruit international students across Commonwealth nations, describing global education as a largely untapped goldmine capable of boosting institutional revenue, international relevance and global influence.

Kila, a Director at the Commonwealth Institute and Professor of Strategy and Development, made the call during a presentation at the Commonwealth University Leaders Conference, where university administrators, policymakers and education strategists deliberated on funding, leadership and sustainability in higher education.

Speaking on the theme, “International Student Recruitment as a Source of Extra and Foreign Revenue Generation,” the academic argued that Nigerian universities must stop viewing international admissions as a routine administrative exercise and instead embrace it as a strategic economic and diplomatic enterprise.

According to him, universities globally now compete for students, visibility, partnerships and financial sustainability, while many Nigerian institutions continue to underperform despite possessing natural advantages capable of attracting foreign students.

“Nigerian universities already possess many strategic advantages,” Kila said. “We are an English-speaking country with strong intellectual traditions, global cultural visibility through music and film, relatively affordable tuition, and an existing reputation across parts of Africa. The question is whether we are prepared to organise ourselves strategically enough to compete globally.”

He identified Commonwealth nations in Africa and the Caribbean as immediate recruitment targets, including Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Gambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Guyana.

Commonwealth Universities Leaders Conference, Kila

Kila also pointed to emerging opportunities in India, Pakistan, the Middle East and among African diaspora communities in Europe and North America.

The strategy expert noted that Nigerian universities could attract foreign students in disciplines where the country already enjoys cultural and academic relevance, including African Studies, Governance and Diplomacy, Political Economy, FinTech, Entrepreneurship, Public Health, Religion and Society, Nollywood, Afrobeat and Creative Arts.
However, he warned that many Nigerian universities remain structurally ill-equipped for internationalisation due to poor branding, weak digital visibility, outdated admission systems, unstable academic calendars and inadequate support systems for international students.

“International recruitment is about perception as much as about education,” he stated. “Students choose universities for reputation, safety, stability, administrative efficiency and confidence. Universities that are invisible online cannot recruit globally.”

To reverse the trend, Kila proposed a practical framework for universities seeking global relevance. His recommendations included upgrading institutional websites, establishing dedicated international offices, improving response time to enquiries, participating in global recruitment fairs, strengthening alumni networks abroad and deploying modern digital recruitment platforms.

He further urged vice-chancellors and university administrators to treat internationalisation as a core institutional strategy rather than a peripheral activity.
Kila also disclosed that universities participating in the Commonwealth academic network could benefit from partnerships, collaborative recruitment structures and student mobility opportunities through the Commonwealth Collegium framework.

According to him, the framework would support recruitment missions, shared recruitment platforms, quality assurance partnerships and cross-border academic collaborations within Commonwealth countries.

Beyond tuition income, Kila said international students generate broader economic benefits through accommodation, hospitality, executive education, tourism, conferences and long-term alumni influence.
He maintained that universities that successfully internationalise would emerge stronger financially and more globally relevant.

“International recruitment is more than admissions,” he concluded. “It is an economic, institutional, reputational, soft-power and development strategy.”