Africa has the world’s youngest population, with almost 60% of its inhabitants under the age of 25. As a source of growth and progress, the youth is indispensable for the continent’s future, but to make a meaningful impact they need access to good quality education and tertiary education in particular.
Nelson Mandela University’s internationalisation strategy has placed Africa at the centre of many of its initiatives, with the commitment to develop adaptable, highly skilled, responsible graduates who are ready to meet the demands of the global labour market.
To do this, the university recently embarked on a campaign to create awareness of Nelson Mandela University, amongst students from Africa, and they appointed integrated agency Stratitude to help them do it.
Access to tertiary education
The current tertiary enrolment rate across the continent is just over 12%, which is well below the global average of 32%.
“Enrolling more African students into tertiary institutions should be a priority,” says Chantal Janneker, Senior Director: Communication and Marketing at Nelson Mandela University. “We recognise the potential in Africa and believe that our university is an engine for transformation, with our graduates driving economic growth and development across the continent.”
“To support our internationalisation strategy, we have it as a key deliverable to promote Nelson Mandela University as a preferred study destination for students from Africa, focusing first on SADC countries. To help us achieve this, we looked to partner with an agency that could enhance awareness of our offering to international students and increase our footprint across the continent,” says Janneker.
Stratitude was a natural choice, continues Janneker. Having worked with them on undergraduate and postgraduate recruitment campaigns, the agency understands our value proposition, our brand and our processes, she says.
Dynamic, African University
“During the past seven years we’ve been consulting and delivering various marketing solutions to Nelson Mandela University, including an award-winning undergraduate recruitment campaign,” says Sylvia Zanetti, lead strategist and managing director at Stratitude. “We are also part of a worldwide network of independently owned agencies, with experience in conceptualising and delivering campaigns internationally. This insight and knowledge is what enabled us to successfully implement a campaign of this nature on the continent.”
The agency developed and implemented a digital campaign to position Nelson Mandela University as a dynamic, African institution and promote it as an international study destination. The focus of the campaign was on engagement and lead generation. It was launched in December 2021, across multiple African countries, and immediately started yielding positive results.
“While there are many challenges for universities in Africa, there are also tremendous opportunities, as more African students are choosing to study closer to home, making South Africa their first choice. Quality tertiary education and Africa’s economic prospects go hand in hand, with institutions like Nelson Mandela University playing an important role in developing the potential of the next generation. Africa’s future is bright and we are excited and privileged to be working with the university to contribute to its transformation,” says Zanetti.