GATS and higher education in Nigeria: a preliminary investigation of the indicative patterns of consumption abroad by Nigerians

Abstract

This article presents some preliminary evidence on the existence and magnitude of consumption abroad and the type of trade in higher education, using a combination of advertisement survey data by Nigerians during 2001 -2006 and secondary data on Nigerians enrolled in universities outside the country. We found that higher education consumption abroad is increasing without explicit regulation by Nigeria’s regulatory bodies. The findings also point to the development of a market for local recruiting agencies and the need for regulation not only for quality control but also to avoid collusion between local students recruiting agencies, foreign higher education providers and foreign embassies. The study therefore proposes the setting up of a technical committee to advise on issues concerning negotiations on higher education during the WTO rounds and also provide a clear framework on the process and dynamics of the trade for the benefit of the citizens and the country.