Is brain drain good for Africa?
Stephanie Hanson Nearly half of Ghana’s educated citizens live abroad, while one in three skilled Angolans resides outside that country. “”Brain drain””—the exodus of skilled workers from their home countries—is nothing new. India, China, Ireland, and Russia, too, complain about it. But it hits Africa particularly hard. Of the ten countries with the highest percentage of educated citizens living abroad, six are in sub-Saharan Africa, where many governments heavily subsidize higher education. Development experts decry the adverse impact of brain drain on the region. But recent research on migration of skilled workers concludes that brain drain might, through remittances and the return of talented workers, be good for Africa. Many experts believe the flight of health workers, scientists, and teachers hinder the continent’s development. “”It will be impossible to achieve an African renaissance without the contributions of the talented Africans residing outside Africa,”” writes Ravinder Re
