logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
18m 56s

Nigeria's brain drain

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Bisi Adebayo investigates why so many young, highly skilled people leave Nigeria, known in the country as Japa.

Bisi hears from journalist Victoria Idowu who re-located to Canada with her family and a teacher in Lagos who is about to pack her bags and move to the UK.

We also hear from an expert in employment data Babajide Ogunsanwo who tells us how much this costs Nigeria and Wale Smart an employer who explains how tricky it is to find and retain staff.

Presenter / producer: Bisi Adebayo Image: Graduating students of the American University of Nigeria; Credit: Getty Images

Up next
Today
The cocoa conundrum
<p>Can Europe be weaned off cheap chocolate? EU efforts to block cocoa linked to deforestation were due to come into force at the end of this year – but have faced multiple delays. Another vote is due to take place soon. Some parties are pushing for further delay and modification ... Show More
20m 42s
Yesterday
Is this the end for South East Asia's scam centres?
<p>It’s one of the biggest human trafficking operations of modern times. Scam centres across South East Asia have been making hundreds of billions of dollars annually, it’s estimated, conning people into fake crypto-currency investment schemes. </p><p>But now these centres could ... Show More
18m 29s
Nov 24
Monetising Machu Picchu
<p>Peru is home to Machu Picchu - the ancient Inca city in the Andes mountains. </p><p>It's one of the seven wonders of the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The popular tourist destination attracts millions of visitors, making it very lucrative for the government, local a ... Show More
17m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2022
Why is Nigeria’s economy ‘doing a dance’?
Last month Emirates Airlines announced it was halting flights to Nigeria – saying it was owed millions of dollars. The plight of passengers suddenly forced to find creative and expensive ways to travel thousands of miles grabbed the world’s attention – and within days of the cris ... Show More
15m 37s
Feb 2023
Nigeria at a turning point
At a time when global democracy is under pressure, this month’s elections in Nigeria could prove critical. Africa’s largest economy is at a turning point, with the population growing and getting younger, and the results there could have a major impact globally. One of Nigeria’s b ... Show More
56m 30s
Dec 2021
EYL #162 Davido on Afrobeats, Nigeria, & Family of Billionaires
<p>A few weeks ago we made history by traveling to Nigeria to shoot content and host a networking event. We interviewed one of the top Afrobeat artists in the world Davido.</p><p><br></p><p>This conversation was much more than music. We spoke about business in Africa, his involve ... Show More
1h 10m
Feb 2024
The bandit kidnap crisis in Nigeria
Nigeria is struggling with a kidnapping epidemic. Every year hundreds of people are abducted and held for ransom. The kidnap crisis hit the headlines ten years ago when the Chibok school girls were snatched by Boko Haram militants - but now, arguably, the problem has got worse. W ... Show More
14m 3s
May 2020
Couples Under Lockdown: Lagos, Nigeria
Last summer they left everything they'd built in Seattle for a chance at a very different life. He took a dream turn to expand his company and be closer to home; she gave up her nursing job to manage their girls and explore new horizons abroad. COVID-19 hits as they watch the fat ... Show More
54m 13s
Jun 2021
Nigeria’s kidnapped children
Since December, gangs have seized more than a thousand students and members of staff from schools in armed raids across northern Nigeria. The wave of abductions is having devastating consequences for the country, which already has the highest number of children out of education a ... Show More
26m 28s
Feb 2023
Nigeria Is In Turmoil. Can A New President Fix It?
As Nigerians decide on a new president, the country’s economy is reeling. Nigeria’s public debt is growing, inflation is soaring, and half of adults can’t find steady work. People wait in line for hours at gas stations to fill their cars and light their homes with generators beca ... Show More
25m 6s
Jul 2021
Is Nigeria becoming impossible to govern?
The kidnapping of at least 140 schoolchildren in the north-west of Nigeria is the latest crime to shake a country already struggling to contain militants in the north and separatists in the south. Add to this young protesters on the streets amid rising food prices and crime and t ... Show More
23m 41s