Emigration is the relocation of people leaving one country to reside in another. Ethiopians, like other people around the globe, emigrate for several reasons, including the chance of employment or improving the quality of life, or political reasons. It is actually the act of leaving one’s home country to settle in another. Demographers think it is a complex phenomenon influenced by various factors.
There are several causes and effects of emigration. These include political, economic, and social drivers that may induce baseless hatreds, marginalization, or discrimination from the destination countries. While political and security issues contribute a small portion, the major push factor is economic hardship in many countries, of which Ethiopia is one. Poverty, lack of economic opportunities, and unemployment are major drivers of emigration. Many Ethiopians leave their country in search of better employment opportunities, higher wages, and an improved standard of living in the country of their destination.
There are also environmental elements that drive people out of their residential areas. In rural areas, environmental degradation, including droughts and desertification, drives people out of their inhabited areas. The degradation of the environment is caused by deforestation, which is the permanent destruction of forests. It leads to the loss of biodiversity and habitat.
It negatively affects people and forces them to relocate to other parts of the country. Also, recurrent droughts worsen the living conditions of people who depend on farming for their survival. Similarly, when these people are exposed to desertification, they are forced to leave their residence in search of more habitable areas.
Climate change, which emerged after supervening industrialization and became the headache of world leaders, worsens these environmental challenges, leading to increased famine and migration. When people face shortages of food, they are forced to emigrate in order to avoid death from starvation.
In this situation, people are forced to rely on food aid, without which they find it difficult to stay in their place of origin. A delay in the supply of food aid forces them to migrate to other parts of the country. Individuals and families emigrate in search of a better quality of life and opportunities for their children.
Social factors such as limited access to education and healthcare coerce people to emigrate. They also go out of their countries in search of employment opportunities and a better income abroad. Social researchers have identified that discrimination and marginalization based on ethnicity or religion may push individuals and families to emigrate. In so doing, they feel relieved from the social injustice committed to them.
One of the major effects of such emigration is brain drain. Emigration of skilled professionals may have a detrimental effect on the economic growth and development of Ethiopia. These professionals are mainly skilled ones, including medical doctors, engineers, researchers, scientists, and academics, among others. These professionals would be highly paid in foreign exchange, which they would then remit back to their motherland, Ethiopia. However, the loss of skilled Ethiopian workers hampers efforts to build and sustain critical sectors such as healthcare, education, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Emigrants send money back to their families, providing a major source of income for many households. This remittance contributes to poverty reduction efforts in Ethiopia. It also facilitates improved access to education and healthcare. Remittances also stimulate the domestic economy through increased spending while meeting the basic needs of recipients. Most of these recipients are elders who are parents or relatives of emigrants residing abroad. These emigrants tend to visit their families who reside in Ethiopia. They provide them with clothes, medicines, and other facilities to make their lives tolerable or enjoyable. Such efforts help minimize the negative impacts of the separation of parents and children.
Of course, emigration may lead to family separation and the breakdown of social support networks for the time being. Children of emigrant families that stayed behind may grow up without one or both parents. Also, communities may experience a loss of contact with the emigrants.
Another critical effect is the political impact of emigration. Emigration can influence political dynamics both within Ethiopia and in destination countries. Diaspora communities may advocate for political change in their home country or become politically active in their new communities. As a result, they may be influencing policies and perceptions in their new country in relation to Ethiopia.
Apart from these, there are also other benefits of emigration for Ethiopia. The country may have several potential benefits. As mentioned earlier, emigrants often send money back home to support their families. Remittances can contribute significantly to the Ethiopian economy, providing financial stability to families and supporting local businesses. Emigrants may also acquire new skills, knowledge, and experiences abroad, which they can then bring back to their country. This may immensely contribute to the country’s human capital development and economic growth. Also, the Diaspora networks are beneficial to the country.
Emigration can lead to the formation of diaspora communities, which provide financial and technical support to the economy of Ethiopia. They often maintain strong ties with their home country, which is crucial in times of crisis. These networks can facilitate economic benefits for the country through trade and investment. These factors provide foreign exchange with increased output for export and employment opportunities at home. They also facilitate the exchange of knowledge between Ethiopia and other countries where they reside. They contribute to the reduction of unemployment in the country of origin.
Emigration can alleviate pressure on the domestic labor market. It provides employment opportunities for those who choose to emigrate. This can help reduce unemployment rates in the country, which are currently on the rise due to a shortage of investment and a high growth rate of the population and labor force. With a rise in the size of the educated labor force and a limited growth in investment, the residual effect would be unemployment among the educated youth, which may be alleviated through emigration.
Cultural exchange is one of the results of exposure in the country of destination for emigrants. Upon return to Ethiopia, they may introduce new ideas, perspectives, and cultural practices to the people of their country. They may also introduce new types of clothing, hair styles, and food varieties from their new country. It is believed that such a practice would enrich cultural diversity. It also fosters cross-cultural understanding.
It is believed that emigrants would be exposed to varieties of technological confrontations upon arrival at the country of destination. These cultural shocks last only for a short duration, until emigrants are acquainted with the life styles of peoples in that country. Of course, cultural confrontations between emigrants and those residents in the new country may last only for a short period. Some emigrants may be temporarily resistant to change of styles of life abroad. But, later on they will have to adapt to the reality on the ground. They may, for example, refuse to cook their own food or wash their clothes upon arrival at the new country of residence.
Emigration is a tool for global connections and the exchange of experiences. Emigration may help Ethiopians establish connections with emigrants from other countries. It may also help strengthen connections with a variety of diplomatic missions from other countries on special national occasions. They also develop connections economically and diplomatically. This can open up opportunities for trade, investment, and collaboration in various fields based on the individual abilities and activities of emigrants. These opportunities allow them to diversify their income sources.
Emigration can diversify sources of income for Ethiopian families, reducing their reliance on a single income stream and improving their resilience to economic shocks. However, it is important to note that emigration may also have some drawbacks, such as brain drain, the loss of skilled professionals, social disruptions due to family separation, and challenges related to integration and discrimination in host countries. Therefore, while emigration can bring benefits, it is essential for Ethiopia to implement policies that maximize the positive impacts while mitigating the negative consequences.
On the other hand, it is essential to admit emigration, especially that is illegal, would result in a number of adverse impacts like harassment including violation of human rights. In order to prevent such social crises, proactive measures like convincing citizens to stay homeland and engage in local businesses and contribute for their country’s economic growth. To this end, avoiding bad work habits such as laziness and selective of jobs should be a priority.
Generally speaking, emigration from Ethiopia may be driven by a combination of political, economic, environmental, and social factors, as explained earlier. It is gathered from experience that political differences may be settled through civilized negotiations using diplomatic skills. Similarly, those persons emigrating due to economic reasons such as unemployment or a lack of income may solve these problems abroad. They may be employed after gaining skills in areas that are needed by business enterprises in the country of destination.
Emigration and its effects extend beyond individual migrants to impact families. It also impacts communities at home, inspiring them to send their children abroad for education and skill development. In this process, a variety of people in different communities and societies in Ethiopia are becoming beneficiaries of emigration at large. All these conditions reflect the need to address the root causes of emigration. In other words, it requires comprehensive strategies that promote political stability, economic development, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion within Ethiopia to keep emigration at bay.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
BY GETACHEW MINAS
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 7 MAY 2024
