Oluyomi Ola-David Insights

Brain drain is a present-day reality. In recent years, favourable immigration policy reforms in developed countries has proved true as a magnet for global talent. In Nigeria, the rising rate of skilled-migration among the youth and middle-class is termed the #japa movement.  For many skilled workers in developing countries, international migration is perceived to be a veritable pathway to human capital development, wider work opportunities, social protection, soul peace, and a steady rise in living standards. Moreover, emerging tales of quantum leaps in migrants' wellbeing heap up demonstration effects that stimulate bandwagon effects in domestic communities.  Are you are a resident, citizen, or keen observer of any developing country in Africa, stifled by rising inflation rates and inequality of opportunities? If yes, to which of the following countries or regions have your skilled acquaintances, work colleagues, neighbours, or family members migrated temporarily or permanently in

As I reminisce on the brain drain Nigeria has suffered during the last five years, I am reminded of the  ancient Yoruba proverb that says "ewúré ilé k'òmo iyì ode, ajogún èwù k'òmo iyì agbádá nla".  The proverb literally means that the household-owned goat does not appreciate the kindness of the hunter and the one who inherited an expensive festival cloak on a platter does not appreciate its worth. Its English alternative would be: familiarity breeds contempt. A nation's stock of human resources is its most valuable capital, not necessarily its mineral resources. From resource curse arguments, we can observe how abundance of natural and mineral resources may translate to little or no economic development whenever underlying institutional frameworks are growth-inhibiting. This can be clearly seen in the dilapidated economies of resource-rich countries that pay limited attention to human capital development and living standards improvement.  While natural resources