An influx of petroleum dollars tends to turn heads. Just ask Guyana.
This small South American country used to be among the Western Hemisphere’s poorest. But that’s all changing since Exxon Mobil discovered oil just offshore in 2015. And not just some oil, but more than 11 billion barrels of recoverable oil and gas. The country is now on track to be a top 20 oil producer within the next 3 years (by 2027). In 2022, it was reclassified as a high-income country by the World Bank.
As you might imagine, Guyana’s neighbors have taken notice. Venezuela, for one, has ratcheted up rhetoric on the long-running territorial dispute claiming the land as theirs. The US, too, has shown a heightened interest in the small country. Case in point, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled there just last summer to meet with Guyana’s president and key members of the cabinet.
All interesting. But why write about it here? Because this is the kind of ripening market that should catch your attention if your role is about expanding your international student recruitment to new markets.
The Intead team is gearing up for some amazing presentations and we hope you can join us.
- AIRC Spring Symposium and ICEF North America in Niagara, Canada, April 30 - May 3, 2024
- NAFSA 2024 Annual Conference and Expo in New Orleans, May 28-31, 2024
- GMAC 2024 Annual Conference in New Orleans, June 19-21, 2024
Let us know if you’ll share a cup of coffee and a conversation about all things global and digital (info@intead.com)
Obviously, Guyana’s potential is no replacement for that of booming Indian or even the huge but slowing Chinese student markets. After all, its population is a small 800,000 (note: 27% or approximately 216,000 are in your key age group 10 – 24). But, for the proactive, trend watching recruiter looking to make an early entrance and develop relationships in an emerging region, Guyana could make a lot of sense. The cherry on top: Guyana is an English-speaking country – the only one in South America.
To put it more plainly:
- There is no language barrier for Guyanese students heading to the US, UK, Canada, or Australia.
- Guyana’s middle class is growing, rapidly.
- There are some concerns about safety in the country, even beyond the threat of opportunist neighbors, making relative perceived safety in the US less of an issue than say to a student/family from a place like Japan.
Got you thinking? Let’s take a closer look at Guyanese culture, education, and economy and how these factors might or might not connect to your international student recruitment strategy. And a big thank you to Dr. Mellissa Ifill of the University of Guyana for taking time to weigh in on this post! Read on…
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