Is Entrepreneurship The Key To Illegal Youth Immigration In Africa

The basic necessity underlying all human struggles is intuitively an innate propensity for freedom. In all these daily struggles, one that we yearn for, the topmost of our priorities is that of financial security. “The grass at the other side always seems greener until you get there“. Many African youth caught in the battle for achieving financial security, tend to engage in activities that are associated with enormous risks and threats. With this issue of striving for financial security, they are determined to challenge the status quo and prove beyond ant reasonable doubt that, other illegitimate avenues can be employ to fulfill such ambitions. But the question is, do the pros outweigh the cons? Or is worth the trouble for using such an approach? These are the questions many African youth fail to ask themselves before embarking on such expeditions.

The issue of migration has become a major contributing factor to brain drain on the continent of Africa whether legally or not. Many African expatriates in foreign countries were coerced by the constraints of employment opportunities in helping them realize their dreams of financial security and the fulfillment of other priorities to migrate in search of other havens of solace that pledges to engulf their ordeals. Illegal immigration has become popular among African youths than the convectional approach of migration to far away countries. The rate at which this avenue reduces the human resource capital of the continent is very alarming as many lives perish in the pursuit of such freedoms under harsh unpredictable conditions. Many policies and strict measures have put in place to discourage other people from using such approaches and yet the results are nothing to write home about.

The 21st century has evolved into an era where anybody can be able to realize his or her dreams and aspirations irrespective of their financial, cultural and demographical backgrounds, and yet many people, especially African youth fail to make the minutest usage of opportunities the era offers. Others may disagree with me but the fact still remains that, there are 1001 solutions to our problems with the available resources at our disposal.

Entrepreneurship is one of the major keys to the problems plaguing our continent to the deepest core. Statistics indicates a 2/3 majority of African youths are victims of unemployment and are struggling to make earns meet. The number concentrates on a pool of school graduates; certificate holders who can’t just seem to find any job. But these non-existent jobs cannot walk to these individuals and give them employment they so much desire. Then I ask myself, is the African youth not capable of being innovative? Or the conditions surrounding their existence limit their abilities?

The power of entrepreneurship has the ability to transform an individual, the community and the nation as a whole irrespective of the privileges one may enjoy but still does not undermine the power it possesses. Many economies thrive on the principle of entrepreneurship where an individual or a group of individuals are able to identify a pressing need in a community, an organization or society and apply the norm of “demand and supply” to effectively satisfy such need at an affordable fee. These interventions could be social, business oriented or the blend of both.

This is what many African governments have ignored over the years or have attached little priority to such initiatives, making the youth less motivated to venture into such areas even the need arises. The benefits of owning a business or partaking in the running of a group business are enormous and crucial, to which many African youths should focus their energies in such a venture to contribute significantly to the growth and development of African economies across the continent. Our road to change right ahead of us, we must make the conscious effort to pursue the solutions that will drive the changes we have dreamt about.

The time has come for us to fight for what we believe will make our economies and our countries better and the responsibility lies on us, whether we fail or succeed.