For Rwandan Universities to benefit fully from international student enrollment, they would need to pursue the 3Ps enumerated next: Plot a Global Engagement Strategy Pull in International Collaborators Pursue an integrated Communications Approach Plot a Global Engagement Strategy International student recruitment strategies matter, and universities in Rwanda must therefore design and deploy relevant global engagement strategies to improve their international student enrollments and ultimately their financial viability, while remaining globally relevant. An acceptable global engagement strategy will have for instance a clear situational analysis of the current international outlook of the University, ratio of international students and faculty to local students and faculty, etc. and this situational analysis leads to the formulation of an international ambition statement for the University. The ambition sets the stage for the delineation of global engagement objectives for the University with quantifiable international student enrolment targets as an example. A good example of global engagement strategy objective is one from the University of Surrey which reads thus: Strengthen our international profile and reputation and increase recognition for our achievements by leveraging engagement from our international stakeholders, supporting our education and research goals, including increased international recruitment of staff, students, and postgraduate researchers (https://www.surrey.ac.uk/about/strategy/international-engagement). The objectives lead to the key activities to deliver, and the development of measures of success. Rwandan Universities must also have strong marketing and institutional advancement teams or strong global marketing expertise in international programme offices to ensure that all targets and key activities stipulated in the global engagement strategy are met. Pull in International Collaborators Increasing the global impact and profile of Rwandan Universities and subsequently their international student enrollment will only happen if they also deploy current international faculty and students as disciples of their university brands and employ them as evangelists to sell the gospel of Rwandan Universities to the countries these international students come from. Who can sell the University of Kigali better to a Gambian student than a Wolof speaking Gambian student currently enrolled at the University? Who can sell the University of Kigali better to a Ghanaian Ewe speaking graduate of Achimota High School in Ghana than a Ghanaian student currently enrolled at the University of Kigali? Rwandan Universities must also actively explore MOUs with foreign Universities to get them to consider sending their students to Rwanda for short study abroad programmes so that Rwandan Universities can earn revenue from these arrangements. After all, the Study International website argued recently that forecasted to become the “Singapore of Africa”, the Central African country of Rwanda has emerged as an up-and-coming education hub for international students (https://www.studyinternational.com/news/rwanda-emerging-education-hub-international-students/). Rwandan Universities can also employ international student recruitment agencies where these agents provide proper value for money propositions. Pursue an integrated Communications Approach Adopting a flexible but integrated marketing communications approach, including digital and brick-and-mortar strategies will be crucial to higher international student enrolment for Rwandan Universities. Brick-and-mortar communications strategies include University Open Days, radio, and TV advertising, print advertising campaigns etc. Other effective brick-and-mortar communications strategies include letting University students and alumni become University ambassadors and attending education fairs to recruit international students. International students and alumni can also be encouraged to promote Rwandan Universities on digital platforms. Rwandan Universities should get existing international students and alumni to promote Rwandan University brands by telling their stories on various social media platforms. Rwandan Universities must create compelling content and leverage their social media platforms and get it in front of the right people at the right time. According to the full fabric website (https://blog.fullfabric.com/international-student-recruitment) University visibility can be boosted by Promoting international study stories via paid ads on social media and targeting specific countries, states, or regions. Potential international students can also be targeted based on their interactions with the University of Kigali website for instance. Universities in Rwanda can also create a hub on their university websites dedicated to featuring content, resources, and events for international students – the University of Cambridge does this well. All University integrated communication strategies should however be crafted on the back of a marketing communications audit. This will ensure that Universities get the best return on all their marketing communications investments. Marketing communications should be targeted and measurable for it to reach its fullest potential. So Why the University of Kigali First, the University of Kigali is an ideal international study destination because of its excellent location in the centre of Kigali next to the Kigali Heights and opposite the Kigali Business Centre, with a branch in Musanze, close to major tourist attractions like the Rwanda National Park Second, the University of Kigali currently has a diverse international student population with students drawn from thirty one countries. The University therefore has tremendous experience in managing international students and is constantly refining its service propositions to deliver enjoyable student experiences to make international student stay in Rwanda, truly memorable. Finally, the University of Kigali has a truly international faculty and administrative staff with representation and the international character of University of Kigali makes the University uniquely positioned to give a truly international experience to all its students. Conclusion After working in teaching, research, review and accreditation capacities for thirty five Universities in Africa, I can announce unequivocally that there is no perfect University in Africa. I can vouch for the University of Kigali however, by virtue of the fact that the University is currently undergoing a renaissance with a renewed focus on innovation and enhanced student experiences. In the light of this fact, there is no better time to the University of Kigali. Please email UoK at marketing@uok.ac.rw if you want to experience some of the best higher education experiences in East Africa (https://www.studyinternational.com/news/rwanda-emerging-education-hub-international-students/) or alternatively call the UoK brand communications Officer Umar on +250 789 900 991, and he will take excellent care of you. I conclude by recommending the University of Kigali unreservedly to you. Dr. Robert Hinson is an Award Winning Professor of Marketing who was recently ranked the #1 Marketing Scholar in Africa according to the AD Scientific Index Report 2021 (https://www.adscientificindex.com/scientist.php?id=89518).
