As opposed to brain drain, international migration researchers are increasingly noting a new phenomenon they call “brain circulation,” whereby talented people leave, settle down abroad, and then return to their home countries with their intellectual assets, and yet are not fully “lost” to either place.
As Richard Devane wrote in a study issued by the World Bank, China, India, and Israel enjoyed investment or technology booms from 2000 to 2010, which are linked by expatriate leadership in all three countries.
Recently, Dr. Akintoye Akindele, in a working paper themed: Beyond Remittances: Unlocking the True Value of the African Diaspora propounded just that. Nigeria’s economic breakthrough stands a good chance of happening from diaspora assets, not necessarily from the current annual remittances of $25 billion, which is projected to reach $35 billion over the next five years, but from knowledge and skills circulation. He pushed for Nigerians living abroad who have marinated the wealth of knowledge and skills of those developed countries to transfer the same to the homeland.
There can be no gainsaying the fact that Nigeria’s diaspora population is knowledge and skills endowed. For instance, more than 5400 Nigerian-trained professionals thrive in the British NHS. Nigeria has the third-highest number of foreign doctors working in the UK. The only certified cardio nephrologist is of Nigerian origin.
37 percent of Nigerian-Americans hold a bachelor’s degree and 17 percent hold a Master’s Degree. Nigerians account for less than 1 percent of the black population in the US, yet make up ~25 percent of all black students at Harvard business school.
95,000 Nigerian students are sent abroad annually.
On the flip side, $1 billion is spent annually on medical tourism in Nigeria. Doctor to patient ratio is 1:6000, far less than the World Health Organisation’s recommended 1:600. That is due to the poor availability of skilled personnel and poor health facilities. The number of practicing medical doctors in Nigeria is approximately 35,000.
Education-wise, about 10.5 million children in Nigeria are out of school; 40 percent of primary school teachers in Nigeria are not qualified.
The rate of education accessibility in Nigeria is 20.1 percent. Nigeria’s share of the global shortage of teachers is a staggering 12 percent.
Clearly, there is a huge knowledge and skills gap between the diaspora population and the homeland that should be narrowed in order to catch up with global development speed.
While Nigerians in the diaspora have flourished abroad, they have also tried to engage the homeland but have been met with some stiff challenges.
Many Nigerians in the diaspora are willing and able to provide support to key sectors such as education and health but do not know the channels to follow.
According to Akindele, that is due to pertinent underlying issues including Trust, which is often an issue when dealing with diaspora contributions; Civil and Political Unrest and Uncertainty that stoke fear of political and security situations across the country, often hampering the willingness of the diaspora to make long-term home-based investment and contribution decisions; Poor Enabling Environment to foster growth, in which Nigerians abroad have often had difficulty planning and coordinating effect impact effort or direct investment without their physical presence as issues often arise around how they will monitor progress remotely and get true updates; Infrastructure, where economic and formal institutions are still In a questionable state; and Lack of Understanding of Local Terrain & Policy.
While the above issues remain hard nuts to crack, Akindele extrapolated low-hanging fruits representing opportunities for immediate impact for Nigerians in diaspora willing to deepen inbound engagements. They include:
Skills Development & Knowledge Transfer, which can be achieved by training programs for software talent to drive developer count upwards, coordinated and structured exchange programs, facilitation of internship programs and placements for local talent, partnership with incubation hubs and mentorship programs on the continent, and remote work engagements with local SMEs in strategic roles and positions– knowledge spillovers.
Collaborative Research & Innovation by reduced investment costs from early entry, access to co-investors after commercialization, joint laboratories with joint grants establishing research institute, centers, and laboratories cross-border peer review and collaboration.
Also, Investments through Diaspora Direct Investment (DDI) in SMEs and startups, Diaspora funds and angel networks, Diaspora bonds, and joint venture partnerships with local investors and entrepreneurs.
Trade and Product Exchange by a partnership with local producers and service providers, Patronisation of made in Nigeria products, distribution partnerships, and structures for made in Africa products, as well as IP& Licensing support for global markets.
With Nigeria’s remittance per capita currently standing at $998, Akindele propounded that besides being sentimentally linked to the home country, 54 percent of Nigerians in the diaspora hold or are likely to hold managerial positions, while 61 percent have a first degree. He, therefore, projected that Nigerians are still likely to have the financial power in the future to make hefty remittances.
Currently, 55 percent of diaspora remittances to Nigeria are sent for family upkeep, 25 percent for charity, 11 percent goes to business investments, while 9 percent goes to building projects. That trend does not impact the local economy optimally.
One commentator said on average, over 70 percent of diaspora funds are drained by consumption. “Though this helps to address poverty, efforts should be made to raise the 30 percent available for investment much higher.
Annalee Saxenian, an economic geographer at U.C. Berkeley and author of ‘The New Argonauts’ notes, “Like the Greeks who sailed with Jason in search of the Golden Fleece, the new Argonauts are foreign-born, technically skilled entrepreneurs who travel back and forth between Silicon Valley and their home countries.”
Those are the very “Argonauts” that have been instrumental in the transformation of China, India, Taiwan, and Israel over the past few decades.
Diaspora Nigerians and the local talents are all the ingredients needed for Nigeria to become the next economic miracle, except for the lack of synergy.
Left to dawdled politicians to create the right environment that time may never come. That synergy and change can begin with just the next action-taker.
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