The Scourge of Africa’s Brain Drain
Morocco at night
“While we often discuss why people leave their countries, we tend to forget what they are leaving behind.”
The phenomenon of brain drain is often discussed from the developed country’s point of view. However, I believe looking at it from the African perspective and leaving our Eurocentric lens could lead us to think in a very different way. While we often discuss why people leave their countries, we tend to forget what they are leaving behind. Today I'm going to talk about developing countries and the brain drain to developed countries.
Generally, I agree with the statement, which is people leave their home for economic, political, geographical, and also geopolitical reasons. But, I want to go in depth on the scourge that Africa's brain drain slows down its development. The loss of skilled personnel (at different levels) due to emigration from one country to another is widely known as the 'brain drain'. The definitions of brain drain are multiple and often inconsistent as to the types of emigrants included. This term may refer exclusively to highly educated workers, which include highly skilled scientists and professionals, specialized technicians, or even skilled workers.
Argument 1: A significant impact on the home country's economy
This migration can result in significant costs to countries of origin such as: loss of skills, ideas, and innovation, loss of investment in education, and loss of tax revenues, and perhaps most importantly, loss of critical services in the health and education sectors. (Sunita Dodani and Ronald E LaPorte, 2005 November). In my personal experience, I know my parents moved from Africa to Europe when they graduated to work and try to make a better living and future for their children. I asked my dad about the reasons that made him take this decision. He told me that it was first because of the wage difference between Morocco and France, and also because of the health care that Europe provides, which is way better than what is offered in Africa.
Argument 2: A higher supply than demand in developed countries
In the host countries, “brain overflow” can result in the misuse and subsequent devaluation of the professional skills of migrants. But emigration also imposes other costs on countries of origin including, social effects that lead to regional inequalities that put families and gender roles to the test, that harm children and their schooling, and increase crime.
Argument 3: It increases the causal factors for crimes and fertility in the poor countries
Developing countries are the ones with the highest rates of births. Indeed, due to the brain drain, there is a lack of awareness about contraception methods in those developing countries. Plus, people are usually not qualified; they don’t get enough money to feed their family on their own, so having kids can help them survive if they start to work early in life and contribute to the family income.
Conclusion: The brain drain inevitably impacts the development of the country. By immigrating, the talents put their knowledge and skills at the service of foreign companies that flourish as a result and pull the country up. Meanwhile, developing countries mourn this shortage and suffer from the absence of their brains.
About the author:
Zidane Boudraa is currently a student at the University of Northwestern Ohio in Lima, Ohio, where he plays soccer. He graduates this year and is planning to attend graduate school.
References
Dodani, S., & LaPorte, R. (2005, November). Brain drain from developing countries: How can brain drain be converted into wisdom gain? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1275994/
Payne, Richard J. Global Issues: Politics, Economics, and Culture. Pearson, 2017, Chapter 11.