Why more young Africans are leaving to study and work abroad

A new study indicates that more than a third (35%) of African students plan to leave Africa after completing their education, with many seeking higher education and job opportunities in the US, Canada, the UK and Europe.

Other popular destinations among African students include wealthier countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), such as Australia. Job scarcity in their home countries is a major reason why numerous young Africans are looking to build their futures abroad rather than on the continent, the study reveals.

Commissioned by the African Leadership University (ALU), the study examined the educational aspirations of young Africans and the perspectives of employers on the future of work in Africa. The surveys were conducted between March and June last year and covered 3,927 employers and 3,953 school leavers across nine African countries – Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The students were aged 15-22 and in their final year of study.

Brain drain threat

The study showed that African employers are increasingly concerned about the negative impact of emigration on the availability of talent. They are worried that if more African youth relocate to foreign countries to work and study, the continent will face a surge in ‘brain drain’, which is where the sustained emigration of skilled nationals leads to a progressive depletion of human capital in the countries of origin.

The study found that 64% of African employers expressed concerns about the impact of brain drain, with multinationals (72%) citing this as a more significant issue for them compared with local large enterprises (62%) and SMEs (65%).

Experts contend that by contributing to the scarcity of critical skills and expertise across different sectors and industries, brain drain discourages new investments, limits economic growth, and dents the overall competitiveness of an economy.

The study also established that the majority of African employers are optimistic about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on business but warn that it will require workers to adapt fast to remain competitive. 54% of employers agree that AI is an “opportunity” for their business and 56% of them believe that AI will mean that workers will need to reskill many times during their careers. Unsurprisingly, 37% of African students fear AI could negatively impact them.

Is higher education fit for purpose?

Veda Sunassee, CEO of ALU, notes that their new research has ignited fresh debate whether higher education in Africa is fit for purpose. Speaking to African Business from Nairobi during the study’s launch in February, he pointed out that the search for quality education and the desire for global exposure are the main reasons why many Africans choose to study abroad.

“There are two things that drive people to want to study abroad. One is they want quality education and don’t think they’ll find it in their country. Another is you want to experience the world, you want global perspectives, you want to know that there is more out there, you want to enhance your learning and you believe that an international experience will do that,” he elaborates.

Sunassee argues that policymakers and stakeholders in the education sector need to rethink higher education in Africa to stem the flow of the continent’s brightest young minds to foreign economies. He insists that Africa needs to retain its best talent in order to compete on equal footing with other economies around the globe for investments.

He advocates for initiatives that promote deeper partnerships between African institutions of higher learning and international universities and think tanks, saying that this appeals to African students who seek international experiences without having to leave the continent. 

Sunassee cites the example of ALU, which offers fully-residential programs with campuses in Rwanda and Mauritius, and currently has 2,500 students.

“We have programs and partnerships with the likes of the Carnegie Foundation for Teaching in San Francisco. Every year, we take about 25 to 30 students to spend five to six weeks in Silicon Valley, experiencing the hub of digital transformation in the world. We have partnerships in Switzerland, the UK, and are building partnerships in other parts of the world,” he says.

“You are getting an education that is somewhere between $4000 to $6000 in Africa, but with a little top-up, you are able to afford an experience outside that opens your mind.”

Sunassee also argues that African universities need to forge closer ties with the world of work to ensure that learning is geared towards the needs of the industry. This will help prepare more African graduates to successfully transition into their jobs. Employers in Africa often lament that they need to extensively train new hires before they can start work, increasing costs and lowering productivity.

 “Academia needs to become far more comfortable with letting people with industry experience come into the classrooms and teach. It is so incredibly valuable. They can speak from a place of actual know-how and practical experience” he said.

Sunassee says that with unemployment remaining a significant challenge in Africa, universities and educational institutions must focus on nurturing entrepreneurs.

“Higher learning needs to push more on training people to be more entrepreneurial, to go and build businesses, even if it does not sustain. There are very important practical skills you learn by just pushing an idea, trying to start something,” he notes.

Migration boosts remittances

The number of skilled Africans headed to richer countries – mostly in the West – to work and study has been on an upward trajectory for more than three decades. According to one study, the number of skilled African migrants in OECD countries increased more than fivefold from 0.7m in 1990 to 3.6m in 2015.

While critics argue that this trend contributes to brain drain, there are some notable benefits to legal migration of skilled workers. For receiving countries, they get the manpower needed to keep their industries and societies going, while Africa benefits from the remittances that its migrating workers send back home. The United Nations estimates that in the decade to 2022 remittances sent home by Africans living and working in the West doubled, reaching $100bn. Indeed, in some countries in Africa remittances are the top forex earner and have even outpaced official development aid.