THE AFRICAN BRAIN DRAIN: WHY ARE SKILLED AFRICANS EMIGRATING?

In 2020, about 41 million Africans were recorded to have emigrated and this has been a cause of great concern, particularly in the past few years.  This catastrophic bombshell has racked the continent’s public service delivery affecting crucial sectors like health and education. According to Quartz Africa, 52% of Africa’s youth population want to emigrate, and considering that the youths consist of over half of the continent’s labor force, this will leave the world’s youngest continent wanting.

WHAT IS THE AFRICAN BRAIN DRAIN

The African Brain Drain is when a large sum of skilled professionals emigrates from Africa causing a major depletion of skilled human resources in the continent. The efflux of proficient Africans in pursuit of profitable cultural, social, and economic opportunities in other continents has left a huge gap in crucial skills necessary to address economic development. In 2022 so far, Africa has lost hundreds of thousands of elite academics, engineers, scientists, medical doctors, nurses, and accountants. The effects of this great migration reflect losses of billions of dollars and necessary skillsets to develop the economy.

WHAT CAUSES THE AFRICAN BRAIN DRAIN

In 2020 Africa’s population under 35 was recorded to be 540 million, amounting to 22.7% of the world’s youth population. Africa also produces millions of graduates annually including professionally trained individuals. Sadly, the continent is only able to create a little over 3 million jobs yearly, consequently misbalancing the demand-to-supply ratio. Other reasons for the Brain Drain include poor economies, slow infrastructural development, gender exclusivity, compromised diversity in the workplace, and inflation. During the G7 Summit in 2017, the President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina stated that “The Future of Africa’s youth does not lie in migration to Europe; it should not be at the bottom of the Mediterranean; it lies in a prosperous Africa. We must create greater economic opportunities for our youth right at home in Africa”.

EFFECTS OF THE BRAIN DRAIN ON AFRICA

DERAILLING AFRICA’S SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The continent faces constant economic setbacks because of the increasing expenditure on educational training and recouping the losses caused by the emigration of talented and skilled personnel. In contrast, the host countries benefit greatly. For example, it has previously been reported that Canada benefits about US$ 384 million per anum. USA benefits US$ 846 million and US$ 2 billion for Britain, from the social and economic contributions of African professionals.

NEGATIVELY IMPACTING RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT & INNOVATION

Reports show that Africa had the least contribution towards world research with only 1.8% which accounts for 68 945 publications on science and technology. With 43.8% and 3% for Europe and North America respectively. However, most of the research was by Africans who emigrated to those continents.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS

According to the African Union Development Agency Report, 57% of Africans do not have access to quality healthcare from trained healthcare workers. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Zimbabwe had 0.2 physicians per 1000 people in 2018. In South Africa 0.9 physicians per 1000 people and 0.1 per 1000 people in Guinea as of 2018. The numbers have even declined over the years. Comparatively, Europe and America, and other developed countries had 3 to 4 physicians per 1000 people within the same timeframes. The UK had approximately 6.770 Nigerian nationals registered with the National Service yet Nigeria has 1 doctor per 5000 people when the W.H.O has recommended having at least 1 physician per 600 people.

CONCLUSION: TOP EMIGRATION DESTINATIONS FOR AFRICANS

It is important to note that there is also INTRA-REGIONAL migration where Africans seek opportunities in other African countries. 21 million documented Africans live in another African country and this contributes greatly to the continent. Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt are the main destinations for inter-African migration. According to a 2021 report, 11 million Africans live in Europe, 5 million in the Middle East, and more than 3 million in Northern America. It is noteworthy that North Africans make up the majority of African immigrants to Europe, this is according to the Relief web findings. The top 10 major and also recommended emigration destinations for highly skilled Africans are;

1. Switzerland
2. Canada
3. Germany
4. The United Kingdom
5. Japan
6. Sweden
7. Australia
8. The United States of America
9. France
10. Netherlands.