Should I stay or should I go? What Africa’s young people are telling us about migration

For a young African finishing university, looking for a first job, or trying to build a career, a question emerges: Should I stay or should I go? For young people, the possibility of migration often coincides with some of the most important transitions into adulthood – pursuing further education, entering the labour market, achieving financial independence, starting a family. … When opportunities to navigate these transitions are limited at home, seeking options abroad becomes a practical alternative. 

On a continent where young people continue to face high levels of unemployment, leaving can be a compelling option. According to Afrobarometer’s latest flagship report, Beyond borders: Citizen perspectives on a shifting global order, 45% of Africans have considered emigrating; among 18- to 35-year-olds, 32% have thought “a lot” about leaving. 

Migration as a governance barometer 

The reasons people give for wanting to emigrate point to a broader governance challenge. When asked why they are considering leaving, potential emigrants overwhelmingly point to economic concerns: Half (50%) say they would leave in search of work, while 29% cite a desire to escape poverty or economic hardship. 

These motivations matter because they point beyond individual choices to the economic and governance conditions in which those choices are being made. Migration, in this sense, can be read as a barometer of how citizens perceive the opportunities available to them. 

For many young Africans, the problem begins before they enter the workforce. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s 2019 Ibrahim Forum Report highlights a mismatch between education and employers’ needs across the continent, noting that higher levels of education don’t necessarily translate into better job prospects. In 11 African countries surveyed by the International Labour Organization, 32.2% of unemployed young people identified a lack of jobs as their main obstacle to finding work, while 29.9% cited high job requirements or insufficient work experience. The transition from education to employment can be difficult, leaving young people with qualifications but limited opportunities to put them to use. 

This makes the migration aspirations of educated Africans particularly significant. Among those with post-secondary education, 31% say they have thought “a lot” about emigrating, compared to 18% of those with no formal schooling. The very education that should expand young people's opportunities can, in the absence of corresponding employment opportunities, expand their awareness of what they could pursue elsewhere. 

When opportunity lies beyond Africa 

The aspirations of potential emigrants are also becoming increasingly global. While more than half of actual African migrants remain on the continent, the destinations that potential emigrants say they would prefer tell a more outward-looking story. Among potential emigrants, the share who would prefer to move elsewhere in Africa has fallen from 36% in 2016/2018 to 26% in 2024/2025. Meanwhile, 32% would opt for Europe and 28% for North America, while another 16% identify destinations in regions such as the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania. 

Research shows that this outward focus may be shaped by growing digital connectivity. Access to mobile phones, the Internet, and social media exposes young Africans to opportunities abroad, as well as to the experiences of successful migrants and the benefits associated with remittances. 

This shift in preferred destinations coincides with persistent barriers to movement within Africa. Across 38 countries surveyed by Afrobarometer, 56% of Africans support free movement of people across international borders, yet 63% say that crossing borders for work or trade is difficult in practice. In other words, there is a gap between Africans' support for greater mobility and their experience of moving across borders. 

That gap matters for the continent's broader integration ambitions. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is intended to enable the free flow of goods and services across the continent and boost the trading position of Africa in the global market, yet the initiative remains largely unfamiliar to the citizens it is ultimately meant to benefit. Only 13% of Africans say they have heard of the AfCFTA, and awareness does not exceed 27% in any of the 38 surveyed countries. 

If young Africans are looking for opportunities across borders, the question is whether Africa's integration agenda is serving them in ways they can see, understand, and use. 

Migration: Risk or opportunity? 

The desire to migrate should not be reduced to a rejection of Africa or a problem that governments must solve by keeping young people at home. Migration can create opportunities that may not be available in a person’s country of origin, such as employment, higher education, professional development, and new skills. When young people are able to migrate in conditions of freedom, dignity, and security, mobility can contribute to development in countries of both origin and destination. 

But the journey itself can carry significant risks. Young migrants who use irregular routes may face abuse, violence, and trafficking, particularly along routes from West Africa to North Africa. 

And these risks do not necessarily end when migrants reach their destination. They can also get trapped in exploitative and abusive jobs, including forced labour. In West Africa, for example, the International Organization for Migration has documented how young migrants can become vulnerable to exploitation through unethical recruitment practices and false promises of employment. 

Research on youth migration suggests that whether migration is an opportunity or a risk depends in part on the policies and institutions surrounding it, including access to education and training, employment opportunities, social protection, social inclusion, and effective institutional support. 

From brain drain to continental opportunity 

This calls for a broader approach to migration policy. Rather than simply trying to persuade young Africans to stay, governments should focus on expanding the range of choices available to them. Staying should be possible because there are meaningful opportunities at home; moving within Africa should be possible because borders don’t stand in the way; and migrating beyond the continent should be a choice rather than an economic necessity. 

Decent work should be a governance priority. Economic growth alone is not enough if it doesn’t translate into accessible jobs, careers, and decent livelihoods. The challenge is not just to create more employment, but to create opportunities that allow young Africans to achieve the financial independence and economic security that migration so often promises. 

Continental integration should be tangible. The AfCFTA and other regional integration initiatives cannot remain abstract policy frameworks. Young Africans need to see what integration can mean for them: the ability to start and grow a business across borders, access new markets, find employment, develop skills, and build careers without being constrained by unnecessary barriers. 

Free movement must work in practice. Majority support for mobility in principle means little if young people still face practical barriers when they try to move for work, education, or business. The promise of an integrated Africa must be felt not only in policy documents, but at the border. 

Finally, migration must be treated as part of development policy, not merely as a flow to be stopped. Policy must prioritise creating safe, regular, and dignified pathways for mobility. When young people are protected from new vulnerabilities, migration can deliver on its broader development potential, including generating opportunities through remittances, skills circulation, diaspora engagement, and return migration, whether young people move temporarily, settle elsewhere on the continent, or build lives abroad. 

Africa's young people should not have to choose between their homes and their futures. The question should no longer be simply “Should I stay or should I go?” It should be whether Africa can build a future in which young people are genuinely free to choose.