Brain drain: Africa to lose skilled workforce due to Germany’s new migration policy

Germany’s plan to establish migrant centers in five African countries to offer a select category of Africans the possibility of settling on its soil is likely to encourage brain drain, which will occur due to the exit of skilled people from the continent, experts have warned.

The new fast-track procedure proposed for skilled labor essentially simplifies the recruitment of qualified foreign workers. While the new migration policy, which was recently announced by the German government, is welcomed by some, others warn of the risk that it will likely take away vital talent from several African countries.

According to Aly Tandian, a sociologist of Gaston Berger University in Senegal, the policy can lead to a loss of skills, ideas, and innovation. He argues that it can lead to a loss of investment in education, tax revenue, and crucial services in the health and education sectors.

Ghana is one of the African countries Germany is targeting, but it is in dire need of a skilled workforce. Therefore, Tandian appeals to Berlin to rethink this form of skilled labor migration and consider putting a supervision of the policy on both sides. The policy of bringing skilled labor into Germany has grown in recent years through a “welcoming culture.” With this policy, Germany has been able to integrate many migrants, especially refugees.

The proposed centers would ease rules for skilled foreign workers even further. Germany hopes to balance its aging population and finance the pension system by bringing in skilled workers. The policy of skilled recruitment in Africa by wealthy Western countries creates a situation where countries of origin are incubators where experts are born, educated, and trained before they leave for other destinations.