Key Takeaways
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The majority of African migrants remain on their continent, with only about 20% heading to Europe.
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Most African migrants come to Europe for economic or educational reasons, not as refugees.
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A significant portion of African migrants enter Europe legally, avoiding dangerous Mediterranean crossings.
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Migrants’ remittances are vital for African economies, rivaling aid and investment volumes.
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Climate change primarily triggers internal migration rather than international movements.
Introduction
Discussions of migration involve drowned people in boats within the Mediterranean, writes Morales. However, these visuals represent only a small sign of what the story of migration means in a much bigger context. Is Africa really flooding into Europe or is the situation much more complicated than envisioned? Myths and facts are far from the advertised versions, and let us demystify it.
Where do African migrants go?
UN data indicate that majority of African migrants, proportionate to 80 %, retain the AH. They migrate to nearby countries or to the warmer or the more prosperous parts of Africa; west or south. Europe, for instance, only gets a pocket-size of such migrants.
This reality is a real blow to the stereotype that every African migrant is hell-bound on getting to the European continent. Some would rather go to places where cultural and material circumstances are more easily recognizable.
Migration drivers: More than war and poverty
A popular story out there is that most Africans migrants are running away from war or close to it or extreme poverty. Thus, African migrants in Europe are mostly, or only 8 per cent, refugees. Most of them move for study purposes, for work or to join their families.
For instance, within the past month Germany has signed a deal with Kenya that will allow 250,000 skilled workers in to plug the skills gaps. This win-win situation gives Europe much-needed professionals at the same time as the business means economic benefits for African families back home.
Legal migration: A lesser-known truth
Despite the stereotype regarding dozens, if not hundreds, of thousands of African migrants, most of whom attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea in rickety boats, about 90 percent of African immigrants arrive in Europe legally. The average cross-border mover is a student, a young employee or a relative who flies and obtains legal permit, not a boat laden with many people.
Migration’s impact on Africa: Brain drain or opportunity?
Lamentations regarding “brain drain” from the African continent always carry more weight than the gains occasioned by mobility. Research shows that African migrants are also important in transferring money and capital and transferring knowledge to their countries of origin.
The Annual remittances to Africa reach the equivalent of aid and direct investments. Remittance is thus a very key foundation of our economy that enhances the living standards of so many families through migration.
Climate migration: Separating fact from fiction
Most certainly climatic changes influence African migration because droughts and severe weather conditions affect migration. Nevertheless, the majority of the migration related to climate is internal. Migration also costs money, which is frequently inaccessible for individuals who are most affected by climatic upset.
Currently there is no scientific evidence to show that there is an impending mass international climate migration from Africa. However, in the affected population, people move to different areas in the same zone of their country.
Conclusion
Refugees and migrants from Africa to Europe is not a movie of filled boats and tiny waves to be handled. The ugly reality is that it was a complex process with unlooked-for consequences and motivated by a variety of factors giving rise to victory for both, Africa and Europe. In order to deal with this situation, it is needed to be based on facts and continental interdisciplinary understanding.
