You say you’re going abroad to look for greener pastures. And when you get there, you find the land is so green, so fertile, so seemingly full of opportunity, that you forget where you came from. You get carried away. You refuse to return. But why?
Why do we leave and never look back?
Africa’s story is often told through the lens of its problems: poverty, corruption, poor infrastructure, and political instability. For many of its brightest minds, leaving seems like the only option. The continent bleeds talent—engineers, doctors, artists, academics, entrepreneurs, all seeking safety, recognition, or simply the chance to thrive in a place where systems work.
But here’s the thing: if all the builders leave, who will build?
Who will save Africa?
It’s a bold question but one we need to ask. Because while Africa continues to supply the world with raw materials, natural resources, and cultural richness, we are also exporting our greatest resource: our people. And while other developing regions grow with the help of foreign talent, Africa is still trying to patch up the hole left by its own.
We celebrate our diaspora when they achieve greatness abroad, but what if that greatness was nurtured and celebrated at home? What if the next big tech revolution,
Nobel-winning discovery, or global fashion empire was born in Africa, not despite it?
Greener pastures aren’t always greener.
Yes, life abroad can be comfortable. Systems run smoothly, salaries are higher, and opportunities seem endless. But the cost is high: cultural displacement, identity struggles, homesickness, and, most importantly, the widening development gap back home.
Africa doesn’t need saviors. It needs returnees. Not just physically, mentally and emotionally. It needs its people to reinvest in its soil, reimagine its future, and reclaim its narrative.
If you’ve left, consider this: What knowledge can you bring back? What systems can you replicate? What businesses can you start? What students can you mentor? What communities can you uplift?
And if you can’t return physically, how can you contribute from where you are?
Because the truth is: no one will develop Africa for us. And if we don’t start planting seeds back home, the green we find elsewhere will never truly be ours.
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