Over half of Nigerians ready to ‘Japa’ to escape economic hardship, says research network

A Pan-African research network has revealed that over half of Nigerians want to ‘Japa’, a new slang to emigrate, while the report also disclosed that over the past six to eight years, the number of Nigerians considering emigration has increased by 21 percentage points.

Penpushing reports that the report published by Afrobarometer showed that the most common reason for leaving the country is the desire to escape economic hardship and search for better work opportunities.

The statistics as issued by the International Migration Day (IMD), a non-profit based in Ghana stated that this proportion of citizens includes those living in urban areas, the country’s highly educated population, the unemployed, and young citizens.

Penpushing further reports that International Migration Day (IMD), is celebrated on December 18, each year to mark the adoption of a resolution by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

The research network’s report said the most popular destinations of Nigerians are North America, Europe and the Middle East, stressing that 56 percent of Nigerians have considered leaving Nigeria, a 20-percentage-point increase compared to 2017

“56 per cent of Nigerians say they have considered leaving Nigeria, a 20-percentage-point increase compared to 2017. The share who say they have given a lot of thought to the idea has tripled, from 11 per cent to 33 per cent’, the report emphasised

“71 per cent of people with post-secondary school qualifications, 63 per cent of urban residents, and 60 per cent of citizens between age 18- to 35 have considered leaving the country,” the report disclosed.

Penpushing also reports that the Afrobarometer explained that it collected this data through a survey involving face-to-face interviews, adding that the survey was conducted using a sample, random, stratified probability sample of 1,600 adult Nigerians.

The survey was conducted between 19 June and 17 July and provides country-level results with a margin of error of +/-2.5 percentage points at a 95 per cent confidence level, while across the continent, interviews were conducted in 23 other African countries in the language of the respondents’ choice, with samples of 1,200-2,400 adults.

Penpushing reports that the organisation’s, previous surveys were conducted in countries in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2022, which the survey also revealed a growing trend in emigration intentions among Africans residing in countries within the continent.

The report, in same vein said almost half of Africans have considered emigrating this year, as the non-profit described this as a significant increase compared to the proportion recorded in 2016 to 2018, stating that the intention to emigrate is driven primarily by the search for jobs and the need to escape economic hardship.

Penpushing further reports that the report equally found that 47 per cent of respondents across the 24 countries have considered moving to another country, with 27 per cent having given the idea a lot of consideration.

The Liberia recorded the highest emigration intentions, with 78 per cent, followed by the Gambia, with 68 per cent, Cabo Verde, with 64 per cent, and Ghana, with 61 per cent, as well as Tanzanians expressed an interest in leaving with 9 per cent, making it the sole country where emigration intentions have declined.

“On average, across 22 countries surveyed consistently since 2016/2018, the share of citizens who have thought at least “a little bit” about emigration has increased by 9 percentage points’, the report disclosed.

“Double-digit increases recorded in Liberia (28 percentage points), Mauritius (27 points), Nigeria (21 points), Ghana (20 points), Cameroon (15 points), Namibia (12 points), the Gambia (12 points), and Zimbabwe (11 points) (Figure 2).”

Penpushing also reports that the report noted that Tanzania is the only surveyed country where the proportion of citizens giving some thought to emigration decreased by 5 percentage points, while the North America and Europe remain the most favoured destinations, attracting 31 per cent and 29 per cent of potential migrants, respectively.

The research, in similar development showed a quarter of its respondents across the 24 African countries preferred to relocate within Africa, and this shows a significant inclination toward regional mobility.

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