A critical examination of migration and globalization: Implication for development in Africa

Abstract

This paper argues that there is a relationship between globalization and migration in the sense that increased reduction in global borders enhances migration. Migration on its own has raised some human right concerns. This is because as communities are growing closer, trade, politics, culture, technology e.t.c., raise some conflicts of ideology. This paper surmises that unless there is a way of humanizing the unevenness in the mercantile relationships that exists between Western nations and their Third world counterpart, the world will not benefit from these interactions as we have seen in the 21st Century slavery witnessed in Libya where humans were auctioned like goats. In the ideological pedestal, the challenges posed by Islamic migrants have become very mendacious. However, the aim of this paper is to examine globalization and migration and its implication for development in Africa. The movement of skilled and / or wealthy Africans is generally viewed negatively. For instance, there is long-standing concern on the African continent with the impact of the ‘brain drain’ of African professionals. Nevertheless, slowly and very few places, is understanding arising of the potentially positive role that migration itself can play in development or of the possibilities for ‘mobilization’ of the African Diaspora in the fight against poverty.

Keywords: Migration, globalization, development and ideology