BY TONY KWAME ANSAH, JR.
While African youth risk their lives embarking on dangerous journeys to developed countries in makeshift boats in search of a better life, the African continent is, ironically, an attraction to people from other regions of the world, mostly men and women in search of a better life, too. They’re classified as expatriates. For them, moving to Africa is an opportunity to make a decent living outside of their countries of origin. Here’s an inside look at the expats and their various contributions in Africa towards progressive development.
In 2017, 25 million documented international migrants were residing in Africa and accounted for 2% or less of the total African population . Between 2000 and 2017, the number of international migrants in Africa grew by an average of 3.0 per cent per annum (1). However, the exact number of expats in Africa is difficult to determine.
Expats in Africa are mostly represented by Europeans, North Americans, Asians, and Australians. Although several local languages are spoken in African countries, English is the national language in many Sub-Saharan countries because of British colonization until the 1960s. This works to the advantage of English-speaking expatriates and helps to eliminate communication barriers. This is not to disregard French, the second official language across the continent, which is followed by Spanish and Portuguese.
Students make up a significant proportion of the immigrants in Africa. Resident permits are granted to these adults to continue their education. As a result, foreign student populations are growing throughout Africa.
Many foreigners who live and work in Africa are professionals relocated by their multinational employers involving in oil/gas exploration or mining (gold, diamond, and copper), while others work for international organizations in health services and conservation. The most popular career fields for expats in Africa are: business, trade, education, telecommunication, banking, healthcare, and sustainable development. Meanwhile, it has been reported that there is an increasing number of Chinese expatriates in Africa establishing companies by themselves.
Some African governments have created incentives for foreign professionals to come and work in Africa. For example, South Africa has a quota system for many professional groups, such as teachers, physicians, and engineers, which allows foreign professionals to obtain work permits. South Africa is one of Africa’s most developed country and a popular destination for expatriates, primarily from the United Kingdom.
South Africa also happens to be Africa’s most attractive retirement destination because of its nice climate, low cost of living, great natural beauty, good healthcare, and adequate infrastructure (2). There are several other destinations in West Africa that are attractive to foreign retirees, such as Gambia, Ghana, and Cape Verde (3). Some Western African governments have introduced several incentives to attract expat retirees from outside Africa. For example, Ghana is actively attracting African-American retirees with their relatively easy immigration rules and regulations, and with its upcoming “Year of Return ,Ghana 2019” initiative.
With thousands to millions of students, professionals, retirees, and so on becoming expats in Africa, present and future generations are very much interested in connecting to African culture and tradition. Although the intentions behind their endeavors might differ, Africa is very soon to become a melting pot of various social and cultural values.
References:
- http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/publications/migrationreport/docs/MigrationReport2017_Highlights.pdf
- https://www.transitionsabroad.com/tazine/0910/living-and-working-in-africa.shtml
- https://www.transitionsabroad.com/tazine/0910/living-and-working-in-africa.shtml
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tony K Ansah, Jr. is a self-published author, a public administrator by profession, and a social entrepreneur based in Rhode Island, U.S.A. He is also the founder and owner of Ansah Africa, a consulting and marketing startup established in 2017.
Email: tkansahjr@outlook.com or owusu@ansahmisc.com