The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, has voiced strong concerns over the increasing emigration of young Africans, particularly Nigerians, in what is locally termed the “Japa” trend. He stated that Nigeria and the wider African continent are suffering significant losses due to this outward migration of talent.
Speaking in a television interview on Thursday, Adesina argued that young people across Nigeria and the 51 other African nations do not require handouts disguised as empowerment schemes. Instead, he emphasized their need for capital investment to transform their innovative ideas into sustainable wealth-generating ventures.
The former Nigerian Agriculture Minister highlighted Africa’s burgeoning youth population as a potential demographic dividend that must be converted into an economic asset through substantial investments in human capital development and financial support.
According to Adesina, the continent’s youth bulge should not be viewed as a problem, drawing parallels with India and China, whose large populations have become economic strengths through strategic skilling and investment. He asserted that equipping young Africans with skills, quality jobs, and social safety nets would unlock their high purchasing power and drive continental prosperity.
Adesina stressed the importance of fostering internal consumption within Africa, particularly in a global landscape of rising tariffs, as a key driver of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Addressing the “Japa” phenomenon directly, he said, “In the case of young people and the Japa syndrome, it’s a big loss for us. Young people don’t need freebies; they don’t need people saying: ‘I just want to give you an empowerment programme.’”
He elaborated, “They have skills, they have knowledge, they have entrepreneurship capacity, and they want to turn their ideas into great businesses. What young people need is not those empowerment programmes; they need capital, they need you to put your money at risk on their behalf.”
Adesina underscored the vast potential of Africa’s over 465 million young people between the ages of 15 and 35. He cautioned against allowing this demographic asset to become a liability by failing to invest in their potential for continental growth.
“I do not believe that the future of our young people lies in Europe; it doesn’t lie in America, it doesn’t lie in Canada, Japan, or China; it should lie in Africa growing well, growing robustly and able to create quality jobs for our young people,” he concluded.
