Brain drain is a situation where a country runs short of its skilled personnel as a result of their migration to other countries for better opportunities. Africa has been hardly hit by brain drain than any other continent in the world. It trains less man power and the majority end up leaving in favor of the developed world.

Various reasons account for this.

CAUSES OF THE AFRICA’S BRAIN DRAIN:

High unemployment and underemployment rates. A larger proportion of those who are trained remain unemployed or they are employed in fields that underutilize their skills. For instance, it is not rare to find a university graduate working as a shopping mall attendant. As a result, they opt to move to developed countries where they are sure to get higher demand for their qualifications.

Poor wages and salaries. Those who are lucky to get employment in their fields are not well compensated. Developed countries on the other hand have higher pay scales, especially for the highly skilled and professionals in fields like medicine, engineering, accounting and other professions. As a consequence, such professionals find no incentive to stay at home when they can more overseas.

Political instability. Most African countries are characterized by political instabilities and insurgencies. Wars, bloodshed, and tribal conflict are a norm in most African countries. People have lived to accept such as a form of lifestyle. This creates discomfort and uncertainty about one’s future and career, thus driving away the skilled that are still needed in developed countries, where there is peace and security.

Daveloped countries are also partially responsible for Africa’s brain drain. They are constantly looking for ways to attract the highly skilled and technical personnel from Africa. They offer incentives that lure them into their countries, and they strive to keep them from returning home. In this case, most professionals enjoy the great incentives and ignore their home countries. If such incentives were lacking, some would not find a big reason to stay behind.

Limited networking and career development opportunities. Most skilled workers are always looking out for ways to advance their careers and develop their skills. Africa lacks such programs and systems. For instance, there are limited post graduate training programs in most universities, limited research and internship opportunities, compared to the developed countries in Europe and North America. This drives most people away.

Corruption and government bureaucracies. The poor government structures in Africa do not favor the highly skilled. Some are left out unemployed not because there is nowhere to employ them, but because their positions are occupied by less qualified individuals who are favored by the corrupt. Others are required to first pay up before they can get hired. And bureaucratic tendencies are the worst in hiring processes. Skilled personnel therefore have to look for other opportunities elsewhere.

The above are my primary reasons for the continued brain drain issue in Africa. There could be other reasons for the movement of skilled labor to developed countries. However, measures to solve the above could significantly reverse the brain drain problem.