Technology entrepreneur and philanthropist, Bill Gates, says the surge of Nigerians travelling abroad in search of greener pastures has significant benefits, as it contributes to the development world class skills and the capacity to repatriate much needed foreign exchange to grow local economy.
Gates says it is vital though, that the migrating Nigerians should emphasise upgrading their skills, so as to add value to themselves, as well as to their destinations and home economies.
He says the craze by Nigerians to work and school abroad, known at home as the “Japa Syndrome,” can be beneficial to all with proper focus and management.
“Japa” is a Yoruba language (South-West Nigeria) word which means to run, flee, escape or breakaway. The word has recently come into common use across Nigeria and even beyond, and is now associated with a strong disaffection with a place or situation and a determination to depart from it.
“I’m not someone who believes that no one should go away, or that blocking that completely is a healthy thing.
“In a sense, people leaving is a good thing, if you up the amount of training you’re doing,” says Bill Gates, who is the founder of Microsoft.
Gates, who is on a visit to Nigeria, spoke at an interactive session with innovators on ‘Advancing Africa: Unleashing the Power of Youth in Science and Innovation’ held in Lagos State, Wednesday.
He added, “Having a big diaspora that includes people coming back into business, into government – that’s a very healthy thing.
“This idea that people go away and do great work but then they come back, if you get that in balance and figure out the education funding piece of that, that is a super healthy thing in computer science, in health, in a business, and other areas,” he said.
He however acknowledged that massive emigration can sometimes upset the balance of skills required for sectors such as health and education and consequently the well being of nations.
He observed that China and India have great numbers of skilled professionals, educated and working abroad, just as Nigerria does and added that both nations are reaping significant benefits from the development.
Millions of Nigerians live abroad. The largest communities can be found in the United Kingdom where estimates of the Nigerian population range between 500,000 and 3,000,000. In the United States the estimates range between 600,000 and 1,000,000 Nigerians. Other countries that follow closely include South Africa, the Gambia and Canada respectively.
Emigration from Nigeria is especially linked to economic challenges leading to unemployment and underemployment.
The quest for quality education and a better quality of life, even among the educated, also features.
Related to this, it is estimated that there are upwards of 10,000 Nigerian medical doctors practicing in the UK, over 4,000 in the US and more than 600 in Canada.
