23 January 2012
Moncton, New Brunswick
The Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and La Francophonie, welcomed the return home of a two-week student recruitment mission to various Francophone countries in Africa. The mission involved representatives from the Université de Moncton with campuses in Moncton, Shippagan and Edmundston, New Brunswick, and the Université Sainte-Anne located in Church Point, Nova Scotia and took place from January 7–17, 2012.
“Education is one of the essential conditions for prosperity in today’s economy. Attracting international students to our universities and colleges in Atlantic Canada is good not only for the economy in our region, but also for Africa’s economy,” said Minister Valcourt. “By welcoming the best African students here, we also enhance the visibility of the French language in our region and share our expertise and our culture. It is a way of opening ourselves up to the world.”
While in Africa, Université de Moncton and Université Sainte-Anne representatives participated in Education in Canada fairs in Ouagadougou, Burkina-Faso, Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Dakar, Senegal and Bamako, Mali.
“The mission was a great success. Many young people came to talk to us during the various events we attended,” said Luc Tardif, Université Sainte-Anne’s Director of International Recruitment. “We are now going to follow up with these students in the hope that some of them will choose to study with us.”
“We participated in a number of recruitment events while in Africa and met many young people who intend to pursue their studies abroad,” explained Mathieu Gingras, Université de Moncton’s Recruitment and International Outreach Advisor. “We are confident that some of them will decide to come and study at one of our university’s three campuses.”
Both the Université de Moncton and the Université Sainte- Anne have made significant efforts over the past few years to increase enrolments by international students, and the strategy is paying off. Since 2002, the number of international students enrolled at the Université de Moncton almost tripled from 228 to 608 in 2011. In that same period, the number of international students enrolled at the Université Sainte-Anne almost tripled from 19 to 52 students.
A recent study conducted by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade found that the presence of international students in Canadian universities and colleges is an important contributor to our economy. In fact, in 2008, international students contributed more than $6.5 billion to the Canadian economy and their presence provided employment for over 83,000 Canadians that year.
ACOA contributed approximately $17,000 toward this mission from its Business Development Program.
FOR BROADCAST USE:
ACOA Minister Bernard Valcourt welcomed the return home of a two-week student recruitment mission to various Francophone countries in Africa. The mission involved representatives from the Université de Moncton with campuses in Moncton, Shippagan and Edmundston, New Brunswick, and the Université Sainte-Anne located in Church Point, Nova Scotia. It took place from January 7–17, 2012
Minister Valcourt stressed the importance of welcoming international students to our universities and colleges in Atlantic Canada for the economy of our region and that of Africa. He also said it is a means of sharing our expertise and our culture, opening Atlantic Canada up to the world.
In 2008, international students contributed more than $6.5 billion to the Canadian economy, according to a study done by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
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INFORMATION:
Andrea Richer
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Bernard Valcourt
613-790-3637
Luc Tardif
Director of International Recruitment
Université Sainte-Anne
902-769-2114
Robert Bourgeois
Senior Communications Officer
Communications
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
506-851-6394
Mathieu Gingras
Recruitment and Outreach Advisor
Université de Moncton
506-858-4381
