Key Highlights
- Bill Gates said the recent surge in the number of young professionals leaving the country for greener pastures is good and healthy for the country.
- Gates said he does not believe that no one should go away, noting that completely blocking people from leaving is not a healthy thing.
Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist, Bill Gates, has explained that the japa syndrome is good and healthy for Nigeria as he weighed in on the recent surge in the number of young Nigerian professionals leaving the country for greener pastures.
This was made known by Bill Gates on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, while addressing a question during an interactive session with innovators on ‘Advancing Africa: Unleashing the Power of Youth in Science and Innovation’ held in Lagos State.
Bill Gates said having a big diaspora that includes people coming back into business and government is a very healthy thing.
What the Microsoft co-founder is saying
- Bill Gates said, “In a sense, people leaving is a good thing, if you up the amount of training you’re doing. So you say okay, some of our doctors can go get a very high salary in the UK, the US, some of them will pay to their family broadly and some of them will return.
- “So having a big diaspora that includes people coming back into business, into government – that’s a very healthy thing. There are some cases like in medical education were subsidized by the government, you almost wish that a little bit of that resource you get overseas would help the government increase the training. Because otherwise and we see today a significant shortage in some of those skills.’’
- He added, “But I’m not someone who believes that no one should go away or that blocking that completely is a healthy thing.’’
Getting the balance is super healthy
Pointing out the similarities Nigeria shares with India and China in the export of talent, he highlighted that “many” innovative immigrant doctors had spent some time in the UK and the US as part of their training.
- The philanthropist said, ‘’But certainly India and China and I’ll say Nigeria is third on this list, this idea that people go away and do great work but then they come back, if you get that balance and figure out the education funding piece of that, that is a super healthy thing in computer science, in health, in business and other areas.’’
True – he fell short of saying that the government must make it competitive at home, for people to stay.
He stayed objective so there’s no need to be specific on what the government does. Countries like China empowers their citizens to do business overseas with the aim of improving their GDP. Nigeria should do the needful thing for herself. and not expect foreigners to say or do it for them.
Really it is good to go abroad to earn foreign currency and get international skills but to maximise the opportunity government should create conducive environment for these professionals to come back and invest not in the current situtation where most of them are kidnapped and killed and many of them have vowed not to come back .China and India benefitted because many of their diaspora professionals returned home to establised
True words. In nut shell, bill gates wants the greener pastures countries to refrain from blocking people migrating entirely. He wants them to see the bigger picture. It remains to be seen when Nigeria will make the environment conducive for any form of development
A wise man is spoken to in the proverb not in prose. Bill Gates is telling us that we don’t have good governance. Our young ones shouldn’t waste their youthful age
Very true. my sister, you cannot afford to loose your life after you have worked hard in a foreign Country and suffers what it costs to be a foreigner then loose your life in a twinkle of an eye just to support the growth of your Country. I believe it can worth it if our government and our leaders should look into these issues of kidnapping, Ethnicities, Tribalism, Religion and selfish politics of divide and rule for the growth and good of the Country. If not Nigeria will keep going down to the drain and it’s so disheartening
Going through the comments, one is left dismayed by the “government this, government that” syndrome. While the Nigerian government falls short in so many different (and frankly) basic areas, the present condition of Nigeria is a culmination of the various actions (by commission or omission) of ALL Nigerians – same as its future.
I wonder why Nigerians think these individuals from developed countries have their best interest at heart… The recent move of Africa away from Western influence is giving them cold feet. They are doing everything possible to make Africa remain under them. How on earth can Japa be healthy for a nation in this current dispensation?
I absolutely agree with Bill,as a matter of fact prospect skill personnel is adamant in human endeavors.Therefore the speculation through the government avoiding whom do want to travel out of the country is inept.
However if there is a way,I personally shall travel out of the country.
This is exactly what someone in the university system once discussed with me, he opined that if he was to be in government, that Nigeria has investment opportunity in medicine. That since Nigerian Doctors are doing well and rated high abroad, Nigeria as a government should invest heavily in producing more Doctors and and Nurses, export them and earn huge foreign exchange. Which will at the same time affect their individual families and the economy in general.