Nigerian Students Contributed Over $400 Million To U.S. Economy In 2021
Princess-Ekwi Ajide Abuja
A Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce report says in 2021, Nigerian students contributed a staggering $449,000,000 to the U.S. economy which is a testament to the significant economic impact of Nigerian students in the United States.
The U.S Counselor for Public Affairs, Adnan Siddiqi who reiterated this at the 22nd Annual College Fair 2023 in Abuja, said Nigeria holds the 1st position in Sub-Saharan Africa and ranks 10th in the world in number of students that attend higher education institutions in the United States.
The U.S College Fair is an annual event organised by U.S. Embassy and EducationUSA Colleges to assist Nigerian Students get current information on study in the United States and to engage in insightful discussions about their future career paths especially in the quest for scholarships.
In his speech, Siddiqi, said in the past year, nearly $30 million (23.2 billion naira) in financial aid and scholarships were granted to students advised by EducationUSA adding that presently, Nigeria has over 14,400 students currently pursuing their studies in over 973 institutions, spanning all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The Interim Director of International Admissions of one of the colleges, Sam Gomez, said one of the major factors militating against access to those scholarships for Nigerian students is visa denial and prayed that something be done urgently to change the narrative.
For some of the students, including George-Michael Kondoin, Precious Ukama, and Ekperobe David, they want to study in the U.S because they have better opportunity, will become more versatile through the use of modern technologies for learning among other reasons.
One of the rules of engagement for the scholarship is that they must come back home at the end of their studies to use what they learnt to impact lives in their communities.
