Brain drain

 The brain drain ( particularly in Africa) is a BIG  problem. I remember reading somewhere that in 1995, there were more Nigerian doctors and nurses in the US then the WHOLE Nigeria! That is seriously some crazy stuff right there. Nigeria,Ethipia,South Africa, and Ghana are Africa's biggest exports to countries like the United States, West Germany, UK, and Australia. There are about 20 million Nigerians outside of Nigeria and about 1 million Nigerians in the US. 64% of foreign born Nigerians ages 25+ hold a bachelors degree. Many never return to their home country. I can't say that I blame them though, (despite the fact that I'm not familiar with the conditions in which Nigeria/Africa is under, I haven't been there to experience it). For the bloggers who are currently in college maybe in Canada, UK or the US: do you plan on staying there and getting a job? or are you relocating to Nigeria? For the bloggers who have gotten their education in the US/UK/Canada and have remained in your respective 'adoptive' countries: what made you stay? and do you have plans on returning home?




Heres an excerpt from an interview with Emeagwali:


What are the social impact of brain drain?


EMEAGWALI:

Brain drain makes it difficult to create a middle class consisting of doctors, engineers and other professionals. We have a two class African society: a massive underclass that is largely unemployed and very poor people and a few very rich people that are mostly corrupt military and government officials.

Brain drain gives rise to poor leadership and corruption. A large educated middle class will ensure that political power is transferred by ballots instead of by bullets.

When the medical doctors emigrate to the United States, the poor are forced to seek medical treatment from traditional healers while the elite fly to London for their routine medical checkups.

Nigerian government officials are using tax payer's money to travel abroad for routine medical check-ups and malarial treatment. Overseas medical check-ups is a national disgrace and banning it would force Nigeria to re-hire those medical doctors that emigrated to Europe.

 Do Africans who leave their home countries to study and work have an obligation to return and share the benefits of their education?


EMEAGWALI: 

In theory, we are morally obliged to return to Africa. In reality, an African professional will not resign from his $50,000 a year job to accept a $500 a year job in Africa. A more meaningful question will be to ask: What measures can be taken to entice Africans leaving abroad to return home and what can be done to discourage those professionals in Africa to remain in Africa.

          Five Possible Solutions to curve the brain drain:

             1.Good governance at the national and international level, especially maintenance of reasonable

               security for peoples' lives and property is essential for economic progress, Thus withholding

               political and economical emigrants, who blame their governement's failure for political unrest

               and stagnant economic growth is possible. Transparency in leadership is essential and should

               be maintained.

             2.Offering higher wages for `insiders` according to their qualifications is essential, instead of over

               estimating and hiring expatrates, which are more costly.

             3.Education plays a powerful role especially in the growing problems of international migration.

               Therefore, offering these individuals the necessariy education qualifications in their home

               countries, and expanding a better educational infrasturcture may definitely prevent emigrants

               who are seeking a higher education abroad.

             4.Seeking alternative measures for return of warranty from the beneficiaries, such as the

               withholding of academic degrees until the graduates return and are willing to serve the people,

               may be another considerable alternative.

             5.The last alternative measure could be, taxing emigrants who are indigenously trained in home

               countries. This is indeed a sensitive issue and may sound absurd, and may potentially infringe

               on the basic human right and freedom to chose the nature and location of individuals where to

               live and where to work. Thus, it must be agreed upon the international community and

               international laws.

             6.Since richer African States are also the stakeholders of this so called brain drain, a deal must

               be made between rich and poor states of the continent that prohibits the later from taking

               intellectuals of the poorer states.

               http://chora.virtualave.net/brain-drain7.htm