Nigeria Should Maximize Immigration For Growth Says World Bank

April 25th 2023, World Bank urged Nigeria to take action to maximize the economic benefits of the growing “Japa Syndrome” wave of immigration out of the nation.

The World Bank advised Nigeria and other ‘Origin Countries’ to explicitly include labor migration in their development strategies in a report titled, “World Development Report 2023: Migrants, Refugees, and Societies.”

In order to promote development, origin countries should actively manage migration. According to the World Bank, they should explicitly include labor migration in their development strategy.

The World Bank recommended to Nigeria and other Origin Countries to lower remittance costs, facilitate knowledge transfers from their diaspora, develop skills that are in high demand worldwide, reduce the negative effects of “brain drain,” protect their citizens while they are abroad, and assist them when they return.

Countries that welcome immigrants should do so in areas where the skills they bring are in high demand, make it easier for them to integrate, and address any social issues that worry their citizens. Refugees should be allowed to travel, find employment, and use local services wherever they are available.

It stated that, “To turn migration into a powerful force for development, international cooperation is necessary. The compatibility of immigrants’ skills with the needs of their new societies can be improved through bilateral cooperation”.

The World Bank report emphasizes, among other things, how urgent it is to improve migration management.

It also stated that “Policymakers’ objectives should be to protect refugees and lessen the need for displaced movements while enhancing the match between migrant workers’ skills and the demand in destination societies”.

For policymakers, the report offers a framework on how to proceed.

Axel van Trotsenburg, Senior Managing Director of the World Bank, commented saying, “Migration can be a strong force for prosperity and development. It benefits everyone, both in the societies of origin and destination, when it is managed properly.”