If You Think Africa is Suffering From a Brain Drain, Your Brain is Drained

found this excellent posting on the African brain drain dilemma:

I am weary of the brain drain argument. It belongs to donor and NGO conferences, not to the real lives of those who must live by their wits and effort as opposed to a cheque from Western taxpayers. Those who bandy the argument are relentlessly statist and even now have their eye on remittances that they believe can be directed better by government and development organisations than by the people who earn them. It is an argument beloved by middle class paternalists in hock to donor money and who believe that without those who have left, everything at home will fall apart – it is nonsense of the worst kind.

The article describes how a nurse was able to improve her living conditions for herself and her family by working and studying in the UK for a couple of years.

Think again before trying to introduce regulations to restrict qualified workers from working in Europe. Better: fight corruption, introduce a fair and just legal system, promote the free economy, and reduce the bureaucratic red tape required to start a business.