A current picture of brain drain from Africa: Scope and … current picture of brain drain from...

A current picture of brain drain from Africa: Scope and effect

Abdeslam Marfouk

IRES - Université Catholique de Louvain

DULBEA - Université Libre de Bruxelles

Access to Success: Fostering trust and exchange between Europe and Africa

Workshop 3: Europe and Africa: Intra and Inter regional academic mobility

Accra, 3-4 May, 2010

Outline

� Why African brain drain matters?

� How big is the brain drain form Africa?

� Women international migration: The hidden dimension of the African brain drain

� Medical brain drain: Emigration of health personnel from Africa

� Impact of the brain drain on the source countries

Why African brain drain matters?

� Education and human capital are drivers of economic growth: Strong consensus that better endowed nations in human capital grew more rapidly

� Deficiency in human capital major reason why poor � Deficiency in human capital major reason why poor countries remain poor, Stark (2004)

� Public expenditures on education 4.5% of GNP and 17.5% of total government expenditures, 2007

� Many African countries have relatively low levels of human capital, measured by education levels, literacy rates, innovation indicators and health personnel


� UNESCO (2010): In 2007, 20% or 153 million of the world adults illiterates live in Sub-Saharan Africa

� Sub-Saharan Africa more than one in three adults is � Sub-Saharan Africa more than one in three adults is illiterate (38%), LAC (9%), Central Asia (1%), N. America & W. Europe (0.6%)

� 12 African countries have illiteracy rates >50% - In 4 countries more than 70% of the adult population is illiterate

� In 11 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa 50% or more of the population aged 17 to 22 years have fewer than 4 years of education


R&D Researchers, 2007

Researchers (thousands)

% of World researchers

Researchers per million inhabitants

World 7 ,094 100.0% 1,063

Other indicators reveal that the African countries are lagged far behind others nations in terms of human capital

World 7 ,094 100.0% 1,063 North America 1,572 22.2% 4,654 European Union 1,340 18.9% 2,728 Africa 163 2.3% 169 Asia 2,940 41.4% 742

Japan 710 10.0% 5,548 China 1,423 20.1% 1,071 France 211 3.0% 3,442 Germany 284 4.0% 3,442 UK 175 2.5% 2,888 USA 1,425 20.1% 4,707

Source: UNESCO (2010)


� WHO (2009): In Sub-Saharan Africa (population 817 millions -12% of the world population): 126,873 doctors (1.5% of the world physicians)

France (62 millions): 207,277 physicians, Italy (59 millions): � France (62 millions): 207,277 physicians, Italy (59 millions): 215,000 physicians

� In Africa personnel medical density is far below WHO recommendations: In 27 African countries <2 physicians per 10,000 population (world average 13, France 34, Italy 37, Germany 34, USA 26)

How big is the brain drain form Africa?

� Sustained efforts will be needed to narrow the deficit of the African countries in terms of human capital: African nations face a substantial brain drain

� Until recently nobody was able to present a full and � Until recently nobody was able to present a full and realistic picture of magnitude of skilled migration from Africa: Magnitude of African brain drain was unknown

� No idea about the global cost of the flight of human capital on source countries

� Original data sets: Docquier, Lowell and Marfouk (2007, 2009), OCDE (2007)


Highly skilled emigration form Africa to the OECD (persons aged 25+), situation in 2000

Origin Highly skilled emigrants Proportion of highly skilled (in %)

Absolute numbers

(in thousands)

In % of the

Total

Among

emigrants

In region of origin

labor force

Africa 1,407 100% 32% 4%

Note: According to the international countries classification, Sudan is included in Northern Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa

Source: Docquier, Lowell and Marfouk and author’s calculations

Africa 1,407 100% 32% 4%

Sub-Saharan Africa 960 68% 44% 3%

Northern Africa 465 33% 20% 7%

Eastern Africa 348 25% 43% 2%

Middle Africa 96 7% 37% 2%

Southern Africa 177 13% 65% 10%

Western Africa 320 23% 40% 10%


120%

140%

124%123%

highly skilled Low-skilled

Migration by region of origin and skill level, variation 1990-2000, in %

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Africa Sub-Saharan

Africa

Northern

Africa

Eastern

Africa

Middle

Africa

Southern

Africa

Western

Africa

World

90%97%

78%

70%

85%

64%

24%

37%

20%

10%

85%

9%

53%

23%



14,0%

16,0%

18,0%

20,0%

18,3%

highly skilled Low-skilled

High-skilled and low-skilled workers emigration rates,by regions of origin, in %, situation in 2000

0,0%

2,0%

4,0%

6,0%

8,0%

10,0%

12,0%

14,0%

10,6%

12,6%

7,9%

13,0%

7,3%

12,5%

5,5%

0,9% 0,4%

2,6%

0,3% 0,4% 0,3%

2,9%

1,3%



140000

160000

180000 South Africa (12%) – Top 15 (89%)

Highly skilled migrants by countries of origin (Top 15), in absolute numbers, situation in 2000

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000


How big is the brain drain formAfrica?

82%

77%

68%

56%60%

70%

80%

90%

highly skilled workers emigration rates (Top 20), in %, situation in 2000

56%

49%45% 44%

39%36% 35% 35%

32%28% 28% 27%

23% 21% 21% 21%19%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%


Women international migration: The hidden dimension of the African brain drain

Proportion of women in total migration (>50%), situation 2000

Africa: 51% - Ghana: 45% 50%

60%

70%

Africa 51%, Ghana 45%


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%


25%

30%

Men Women

High-skilled workers emigration rates by gender (in %), situation in 2000

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%



Men’ and Women’s highly skilled emigration rates, in %, situation in 2000

70%

80%

90%

Men Women

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%


Medical brain drain: Emigration of health personnel from Africa

10.000

12.00010.793

56,831 physicians from AfricaAlgeria (19%) - Top-10 (79%)

Number of physicians working in the OECD countries (Top 10), situation in 2000

0

2.000

4.000

6.000

8.000 7.355 7.243

6.221

4.611

2.415 2.385

1.512 1.4691.084

Source: OECD and author’s calculations

Algeria (19%) - Top-10 (79%)


50

60

70

Physicians expatriation rate (in%), Top 20, situation in 2000

0

10

20

30

40



50

60

70

80

69,014 nurses from Africa

Nurses expatriation rate (in%), Top 20, situation in 2000

0

10

20

30

40


Impact of the brain drain on the source countries

� Bhagwati et Hamada (1974), Usher (1977), Miyagiwa (1991), Blomqvist (1986), Haque & Kim (1995), Wong & Yip (1999), Desai, Kapur, McHale & Rogers(2009)

� Loss of investment of public spending on education of emigrants

� Highly skilled migrants are net fiscal contributors and their departure represent a fiscal lost

� Brain Drain is blamed for depriving source countries of one of their scarcest resource: human capital

Impact brain drain on the source countries

� Human capital source of economic growth: emigration highly skilled workers will negatively affect the source countries economic performance and growth prospect

� Decrease in human capital seriously affects the country capacity of innovation & the adoption of modern technologies

� Flight of human capital increase inequality at international level (rich countries becoming richer at the expenses of poor countries)

� Different taxation schemes that could compensate origin countries: Example though a tax on brains «Bhagwati tax»


� Stark et al. (1997, 1998), Mountford (1997), Vidal (1998) et Beine, Docquier and Rapoport (2001, 2008),…

� Range of feedback effects on source countries: Remitttances, � Range of feedback effects on source countries: Remitttances, tourism revenu, return migration with additionnal skills acquired abroad, creation of business networks: Trade, FDI

� Faini (2007) and Nimii et al (2008): volume of remittances decreases with the proportion of highly skilled individuals among the emigrants

� Negative impact of the brain drain cannot be counter balanced by higher remittances


6.895

8.694

9.980

Morocco

Egypt

Nigeria

9,8%

10,1%

27,0%

Senegal

Togo

Lesotho

Recorded remittances inflows(US$ millions), Top 10, 2008

Recorded remittances inflowsin % of GDP, Top 10, 2008

724

823

1.288

1.692

1.977

2.202

3.100

6.895

- 2.000 4.000 6.000 8.000 10.000 12.000

Uganda

South Africa

Senegal

Kenya

Tunisia

Algeria

Sudan

Morocco

5,3%

6,7%

7,0%

7,7%

8,0%

8,5%

9,0%

9,8%

0,0% 5,0% 10,0% 15,0% 20,0% 25,0% 30,0%

Egypt

Liberia

Guinea-Bissau

Sierra Leone

Morocco

Gambia, The

Cape Verde

Senegal

Source: World Bank and author’s calculations

Africa 41 billions US$

Conclusions

� Human capital is still underdeveloped Africa

� At the same time, many highly educated African go abroad: 12 African countries lost at least 30% of their well educated labor forcelabor force

� Women’s skilled migration rates are higher than those of men (Men: 11 countries high skilled emigration rate>30%, Women 20 countries)

� A large skilled Diaspora poses costs and benefits for the region

� Even with remittance income, skilled emigration could be a substantive loss, because human capital is critical in sustaining long term growth

Conclusions

� African medical “brain drain” appears to be serious

� migration of over 56,000 doctors and 69,000 nurses from Africa to the OECD countries has a significantly negative effect on the doctor to population ratio of the continentAfrica to the OECD countries has a significantly negative effect on the doctor to population ratio of the continent

� Health personnel migration from Africa to developed countries amplify the health workforce imbalances that may be detrimental to Africa health systems

� Further empirical research is needed before drawing definitive conclusions on the impact of the brain drain on the source countries

Date post:	29-May-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	doandiep
View:	218 times
Download:	0 times

A current picture of brain drain from Africa: Scope and … current picture of brain drain from...

Documents