Brain Drain in Nigeria: Causes, National Impacts and Sustainable Solutions
In Nigeria and many other developing countries, brain drain is a topic of economic relevance often tackled on TV and radio by journalists and economists alike. The reason is not far-fetched: brain drain is a disrupting force of the economic balance of any nation.
The motivation for human capital flight, JAPA as it is colloquially termed, is a natural, constant human desire for betterment. Picture a first-class graduate residing in a small town in Zamfara. If he hears of an opportunity in Lagos, he leaves. While in Lagos, up-skilled and experienced, if he hears of a much better opportunity in Canada, he also leaves. Nigerians are pulled towards opportunities in the same way positively phototactic insects are pulled towards light.
Canada recognises this fact, which is why they introduced immigration policies like the Express Entry System coupled with a background-enabling environment; Saudi Arabia is running recruiting campaigns in the country; the United States has a highly attractive Silicon Valley that has become the dream of almost every Nigerian IT professional; South Africa offers various visas for skilled professionals through a streamlined process; and Australia uses fully-funded scholarships as a tool to attract bright minds from developing countries.
Ironically, while foreign countries are “pulling” Nigerians, Nigeria is also persistent in “pushing” its people away by making living unbearable for the common man. The ultimate reasons for the mass exodus of workers in Nigeria include mass unemployment, poor salaries, poor working conditions, mass poverty, religious crises, communal crises, political crises, lack of quality education, poor economic performance, lack of security of lives and property, and poor leadership.
Thus, in an attempt to combat talent migration, Nigeria should look within not outwards and proactively solve her problems. To begin with, the government should improve remuneration and working conditions to retain these talents, launch overseas skills acceleration partnerships and return fellowships for talent cycling especially in industries chronically understaffed like in healthcare and engineering.
When it comes down to these sectors, JAPA is largely kleptoparasitic. Most individuals who manage to “escape” Nigeria do so as either trained professionals or super-talented students seeking advanced studies. So, developed countries like the UK, US, and Canada benefit massively at the expense of Nigeria, a country left submerged in a constant decay of standard professionalism.
The consequence is a mass drop in Nigeria’s skilled labour, a continuous spike in quackery, and a resultant economic downturn. Nigeria is one of nine African countries that have lost more than $2bn since 2010 training doctors who then migrate, while countries like the UK benefit massively, saving around $2.7bn by recruiting these doctors (Eromo, 2019). Worse is the realization that former President Muhammadu Buhari spent at least 225 days away from the country on medical trips (Smith, 2023).
However, it’s not all doom and gloom with talent migration. Is it not great that countries are accepting each other’s citizens regardless of background and the world is becoming a global, borderless, open market? In Nigeria, talent outsourcing and incubator companies like TalentQL and ALG are exposing indigenous geniuses to opportunities on the world’s podium.
In a perfectly ideal environment, Nigerians would go abroad to hone their skills, gain access to emerging technologies nonexistent in Nigeria, earn handsome dollars, and catalyse innovation and entrepreneurship in Nigeria. Their remittances can be a key source of foreign exchange earnings for the country, with Nigeria earning $25.1 billion from Nigerians living abroad in 2018, surpassing the $18.2 billion earned from oil exports (NIDCOM, 2021). Hence, at the grassroot level, the focus should be on educating young adults that the real pedestal for success should not merely be “I moved abroad” but “I made a valuable impact in my country”.
