Brain drain is an issue that is faced by many developing countries. The young generation and intellectuals migrate to 1st world countries for education and later settles there because of better opportunities, lifestyle, healthcare, etc. However, their expertise and skillsets are needed in their native country so that they can progress and develop. Very few people are truly conscious of their choices and their impact and contribution to society as a whole.
One of them is Umeh, a Nigerian student whose parents moved to Boston. She studied at Northeastern University and was the president of Northeastern University’s African student association. She truly understood the need for her skill sets in her home country after studying African culture and media studies at the University of Ghana through the study abroad program. The US State Department warns citizens against traveling to Nigeria, especially to the Northern provinces where a state of emergency was declared therefore the Northeastern University does not offer a study abroad program in Nigeria.
“There’s so much potential. There’s so much room for development and investment and I want to play a role in that”, says Umeh as she decides to move to Africa to work with the entertainment and media industry in Nigeria and contribute to stopping the brain drain. After returning to Boston, she immediately started planning her return to Ghana. Umeh found a co-op job with Empower Workforce Solutions, it’s a job recruitment partner and she will be working as a public relations assistant.
Brain drain is a very common concept in Asian and African countries. People from India have been migrating to the USA for decades to have a better life. Many people come to Western countries to fulfill their ‘American Dream’ this also is a huge setback for the development of the parent countries.
Mayuri Talgaonkar