KEY POINTS
- Egypt has launched its “Study in Egypt” campaign to attract Nigerian students.
- The week-long initiative runs from August 24 to 30, 2026, across major Nigerian cities.
- Ten Egyptian universities are participating, offering information on programmes, admissions and tuition.
Egypt has launched a week-long promotional campaign in Nigeria as it seeks to attract more Nigerian students to its universities and expand its education services across Africa.
The “Study in Egypt” initiative began in Lagos on August 26, 2026, and will run until August 30. The campaign is being coordinated by several Egyptian government agencies and higher education authorities.
The campaign is designed to promote Egypt as a destination for international students while increasing the country’s education-related service exports.
Egyptian officials say the initiative will give Nigerian students direct access to information about universities, academic programmes, admission requirements and tuition fees.
The campaign is also intended to create stronger links between Egyptian universities, Nigerian students and educational institutions.
Alaa El-Baily, chairman of the Egyptian General Authority for Exhibitions and Conferences, said the mission is part of broader efforts to promote Egypt’s service exports and expand into international markets, particularly in Africa.
Higher education as an economic and diplomatic tool
Egypt is positioning its higher education sector not only as a source of revenue but also as an important component of its diplomatic influence across Africa.
Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Dr Mohamed Farid, described education as a promising area for service exports and called for stronger promotional efforts in African markets.
He said greater international exposure could help improve the competitiveness of Egyptian universities while encouraging partnerships with institutions in other countries.
The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr Abdel Aziz Qansouh, also described international education as one of Egypt’s major sources of soft power.
According to Egyptian authorities, the country currently hosts students from more than 120 countries. The government hopes to increase that number by attracting students from additional African markets.
The Egyptian delegation is taking the campaign to major Nigerian cities, including Lagos, Abuja and Kano, in an effort to reach a wider pool of prospective students.
Representatives from 10 Egyptian universities are participating in the campaign, including Cairo University, Alexandria University and Al-Azhar University.
Students attending the promotional events can discuss available programmes, admission requirements and tuition costs directly with university representatives.
The institutions are also offering face-to-face consultations and preliminary assessments of students’ qualifications to help prospective applicants understand the application process.
Beyond attracting students, Egypt hopes the campaign will create a lasting academic relationship between Nigerian and Egyptian institutions.
The initiative could increase student mobility between both countries while giving Egyptian universities greater access to Nigeria’s large pool of young people seeking higher education opportunities abroad.
For Egypt, attracting more international students could generate additional foreign revenue, strengthen its universities’ international profile and deepen its educational and diplomatic ties with Nigeria.
