“Over the years, African transnational migration has evolved into a more complex and dynamic phenomenon fuelled by both push factors at home, and forces of globalization in the transit and receiving countries. While a new consensus is emerging as to the seriousness of the brain drain, especially for Africa with its limited capacity for economic, social and political development, there is less agreement as to the most effective ways to respond by way of policy or programmes. Most of the studies by international organizations (e.g. ILO, IOM, IDR) take the position that migration is not only inevitable, but it can also be beneficial both to the source and receiving countries. These studies tend to emphasize the important contributions of capital transfers. Studies by or for Africans, on the other hand, tend to emphasize the brain drain and other losses to the emigrant’s community, country of origin, or Africa as a whole.”
