International migration has role to play in development

By Patrick Omungo

Migration is broadly defined as permanent or semi-permanent change of residential and activity space. Broadly it takes different forms ranging from rural-urban to international migration. Perception, information, space and distance relationship are important to this subdivision.

International migration includes permanent (temporary or seasonal) change of residence from one country to another. In sub-Saharan Africa, this is usually determined by the complex interplay of push and pull factors at the origins and destinations. Forced migration also takes place as in the slave trade era where many West Africans were transported to the Americas and Europe.

Economic gains through mobility of labour, environmental flight, political flight and education opportunities largely cause migration. Mainly, the geographic unevenness of development between states results to this movement.

Two major classes of international migration exist: Intra-continental migration meaning, migration to destinations within the continent, and intercontinental migration, which warrants crossing of continents. Centrally, these exhibit either immigration or emigration status. In sub-Saharan Africa both types of migration takes place.

Few aspects of migration produce such evident and fundamental effects as international type. Apart from its effects on economic development of sub-Saharan states, both positively and negatively, it also influences cultural and social change. International migration in sub-Saharan Africa exhibits a large net outflow, whereby emigration largely exceeds immigration.

Slave trade

An estimated 35 million people live outside their home and the figure is swelling. Studies indicate that migration causes development in much the same way development causes migration.

International migration has created bottlenecks for partial development coupled with modernisation and underdevelopment of sub-Saharan states. It led to breakdown of undesirable aspects of traditional ways of life to a more complex technologically advanced and rapidly changing lifestyle. It has also created room for social change in which new ideas are introduced into a social system in producing higher per capita incomes and general welfare.

These come with modern production methods and improved social organisation. This has played a major role in creating the four aspects for an environment favorable to development; Trade, Debt relief, Investment and Co-operative aid.

In contrast, the net outflow characteristic of sub-Saharan Africa represents major outflow of potential innovators and entrepreneurs. Precisely, this pertains to a human resource brainwash since most emigrants are well-trained and skilled professionals. This is unfavourable.

Comparatively, economic prospects are higher in destinations than at origins. Intercontinental migration is, therefore, more active than intracontinental migration. This means loss of skilled manpower to destinations external to Africa. But voluntary return migration of sub-Saharan professionals abroad has countered this effect and promoted development.

Colonial conquest helped alter traditional African migration, patterns of trade and pastoral nomadism. Together with slave trade, they contributed to large-scale redistribution of populations, realisation and exploitation of natural resources, resulting in rise of development centers.

Immigrants from out of Africa have helped in improvement of health conditions and health care services through introduction of medicines. Emigration of professionals in legal, economic and political fields, retards development as the atmosphere necessary for development in terms of efficiency in these fields is not achieved.

With flooding of migrants on employment destinations in Africa, pressures on existing infrastructure health facilities and financial resources crop up and increased environmental degradation and opening up of marginal lands begins. Foreign employment of nationals is an external source of incomes and economic strength. Forced migration like Uganda’s expulsion of Asians in the 1970s has destructive results on the economy.

The writer is at the Centre for Health and Social Research.

[email protected]