Degree Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

The main focus of this paper will predominantly be on African immigrants and the impact of their immigration on the African continent specifically in the country of Zambia. I strongly believe that due to 675,665 immigrants from 57 countries receiving permanent residents status in the United States, among them Nigerian immigrants constituting the top 30 sending nations the economic prospects of many African nations is being compromised. There is no doubt that African is in fact losing many highly skilled people because of this immigration influx. As one of the many African immigrants in the United States, I can't help but wonder if this huge immigration of Africans adds to one of the poverty traps that the continent faces. By poverty trap I mean a distinct features that has managed to cripple many African countries economies, education, health and military sectors. Or has this huge immigration done the opposite and instead become one of the solutions to the many problems Africa is facing today? By solutions I mean has the immigration experience helped with the problems relating to infrastructure development and larger pool of highly educated people on the African continent. Throughout this paper I will be using Zambia as a case study because, I believe that Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) is among the areas worst hit in terms of education and health care by the depart of highly skilled Africans to western countries. In addition to using secondary resources such as government reports, books, and articles, the paper will also include primary sources such as personal interviews with 10 Zambians. The main point of the personal interviews is to get a real life feel of the impact of immigration in Zambia.

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