Emerging higher education hubs
Upcoming providers of international higher education in the developing world.
Hotspots
The UNESCO UIS and Atlas of Student Mobility maintain databases on international student mobility. Although these data have a very limited geographical coverage and are not sufficiently up to date, the available data reveals the leading countries in attracting incoming mobility as well as emerging higher education hotspots in developing countries. Filling in the data caveats and keeping the databases up to date would facilitate a ranking of the hotspots and the study of global trends over time.
While some countries are not yet hubs, nor do they have the explicit ambition to attract international students, their current drive to improve their provision of higher education for own purposes is going to increase their attractiveness to international students in the near future. An example is the MENA region as a whole and the individual countries within this region (e.g. UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan) which are on a fierce drive to improve their higher education, within the context of globalisation. The new education facilities being built, furnished and equipped are of world class standards.
Geographical patterns, ambitions and competition
A geographical mapping of the emerging hotspots (where data are available) shows that many of these countries draw their students from within their immediate vicinity.
This has consequences for the marketing strategies of individual countries which are on an explicit drive to attract international students. Who should be targeted for advertising? There are also consequences in that competition for students will be fierce, particularly in a region where more countries have set high targets for attracting international students in the near future.
Take for instance the region surrounding the Indian Ocean. Countries within this region have high ambitions for attracting international students, but will most probably have to source their students from the same "pond". Stiff competition! Mauritius has a set a target of hosting 200,000 international students by 2020, 
aiming to take on its neighbouring giants South Africa, India, China and Australia. Similarly, Taiwan has ambitious plans. The government plans to invest US$ 196 million within the next four years in a drive to double its international student population. Currently, there are 45,000 international students in Taiwan.
In the recent past, Malaysia had similarly set a target of 100,000 by 2010 and offers scholarships to meet this target. The count of international students in 2008 was 45,000. Additionally, India, China, the Mena Region, South Africa and of course the AU’s still-to-be established Pan African University will all create fierce competition within the region and temper the feasibility of achieving targets.
Figure 1: A geographical mapping of the emerging hotspots of higher education shows that many of these countries draw their students from within their immediate vicinity. A large dot refers to an emerging hub and the smaller dots in the same colour refer to countries of origin of international students studying in the hub. (data source: UNESCO UIS and Atlas of Student Mobility).
Differentiation
The key will be specialisation and distinguishing oneself from the competitors. Countries will need to identify niche areas in which they (can) excel and perform better in than others. For instance, being bilingual Mauritius could target marketing at francophone Africa, which competitors in the region will hardly be able to match.
Furthermore, differentiation can be sought with respect to study disciplines. Mauritius, a country with a high Human Development Index, earns 10% of its GDP from its financial services sector, mainly serving China and India with regard to offshore banking. This sector is a growing sector for the country and the country's proven success and track record in this field makes study programmes in financial subjects in Mauritius attractive to international students.
Similarly, according to a recently published Global IT report, Mauritius is the leading African country in ICT, being far ahead of South Africa and could capitalise on this status when promoting (ICT-related) study within its borders.
Download the Global Information Technology Report 2010–2011 (9.9 MB)
Donor response
Unfortunately, donor response to the emergence of education hubs in developing regions has been limited. And by this I'm referring to OECD donors in the field of capacity building at the higher education level. Scholarship programmes offered within the context of development co-operation are often tied and still largely foster South-to-North mobility. A majority of the scholarship recipients have to conduct their studies, not in their home country or region, but in the country from which the scholarship is being offered.
Since many donors profess that the promotion of self-reliance is key in their cooperation programmes, one hopes that they will start putting their money where their mouths are now that some countries in the South are proving to be worthy providers of higher education. The Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Programme sponsored by the EU is an example of an action which is doing this and supporting South-South mobility of students.