African Migration and National Development

Hundreds of thousands of people in sub-Saharan Africa change their residences each year both within nations and across national boundaries-in search of employment or in flight from oppression, war, and famine. These migrants strain the resources of the developing nations, but also bring new talents and ideas. This book examines how these population movements affect and are affected by the development of new African nations with respect to economics, politics, social organizations, and cultural traditions.

Chapter 1 examines migration patterns and causes in light of leading theories of national development. Chapter 2 covers labor migration, from the colonial period to the present. Chapter 3 focuses on commercial migration, with particular reference to the Yoruba of West Africa. Voluntary migration is emphasized, but involuntary migration is not neglected.

Chapters 4-8 concentrate on particular aspects of migration and development in specific places: village-level restraints on emigration (Mali), adjustment to urban life by rural women (Zambia), health care of migrant workers and others (Lesotho), brain drain from agrarian to urban areas as a result of the higher education system (Senegal), and distribution of economic incentives in pursuit of national policy objectives (Kenya). A concluding chapter reviews the patterns explicated in the analytical chapters. The implication is that sub-Saharan Africa offers a broad scope for additional social research, and that an eclectic, pragmatic approach is in order for policy makers.

By setting forth common characteristics and challenges and then relating these to specific problems, the book is neither over-general nor over-specific. It thus provides a valid overview of the complex interrelationships between migration and development, and will serve both university course needs and the needs of those whose work requires an understanding of Africa.