Ethiopia: The Emergence of Migration and Brain-drain (Girma Seifu)

The number of Ethiopians leaving the country has ballooned in the last couple of years.  Many are trying to reach Saudi Arabia via Yemen, while thousands of others head for South Africa, Israel and Europe, crossing deserts and seas and placing their lives in the hands of smugglers who often have little regard for their well-being.  Please read Girma Seifu’s take on the emergence of migration and Brain-drain in Ethiopia.  Read more

16 Responses

Notice, the article has no page numbers.  The guy needs to learn how to write first. 

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Please tell this guy to grow up.  He is the most clueless politician ever.  His disjointed monologue is so boring and annoying at best.  In Amharic, he said ….”Ginb ena Ginbata YiDeresibetal”…i.e. he is asking us to stop all development activities and simply to sit & talk.  How stupid can you get? 

on the topic when we talk about diaspora there are 90% of us who are really helping the country by contributing our share for the country foreign exchange money and wishing all good about ethiopia and try to do something what we can. 

the rest 10% called laud speaker Diaspora can be divided by two the first one are those who are a die hard supporter of the gov.  and they tell us ethiopia is heaven and they don’t want to hear and wrong about the gov.  according to them they are the holiest people in earth. 
and the second group called extremist diaspora for them loving ethiopia is by praying and wanting to see ethiopia fall. 

every morning they wake up they pray to hear bad about ethiopia and preach to people to stop eating injera flying ethiopian airlines go out demonstration against Abay dam or asking the world not to help ethiopia. 
those who are fill of hate have one dream to see ethiopian starving and getting too poor and wishing that make people to go out and change the gov.  and those diaspora then can go to become gov. 

I like humor spicy writings..This one was really absorbing.  Wonderful, Girma Seifu…
But other than that, as usual Gima seifu,…you talk but say nothing. 
..Well Ethiopia is one of the poorest of the poor countries, thanks to the legacy of your previous regime, when EPRDF took power…Ethiopia was found in deep social, political and economical ‘comma’.  I think you don’t even seem to understand the Guardian Angel of poverty regime is demolished…
But you don’t even ashamed to tell us Ethiopia was one of the the richest countries by the then.  When we saw such ‘politician’ who lives in illusion and fantasy, we felt that our country has no choice but lead by EPRDF…. 
Girma, time and again you were telling us, the magic pill for quickest growth and development in Ethiopia is to allow the NGOs to operate with out law but in your exemplary countries, you failed to show us how NGOs helped them to attain speed growth and development….By the way where in the world didn’t you see, NGOs brought growth and development??  Would please mention any for God sake….Rather facts on the ground showed, NGOs are the causes of all problems in the world…
Like any third world country it has enormous problem, but we hate your biased information colored by one or two observations to tell us larch tree also produces milk..
I would have preferred to tell you some facts but time and space wouldn’t allow me to do so.  But I promised for you to come to the issue any time soon..
Secondly, You told us that you frequently travel from Sudan to Brazil and from Japan to Canada….what we know is you are pleased coming and going freely…You feel that is because you are a Parliament member?  No Girma,it is simply because, the institutional mechanism allows you to do so.  The right you cherish, should be given to all Ethiopians irrespective their political, economical or professional profile.  Why in the first place your foolish mind to think, Ethiopian Doctors should not be allowed to migrate….This is a fundamental constitutional right of Ethiopians, can’t be minus for Doctors.  You assume to struggle for democracy but you are the most undemocratic…what is this preaching wine and drink water!!!!! 
It is completely sickening to see individuals like you are leaders of a political party. 
What is wrong if our sisters and brothers go to the Arab world to be housemaid to support themselves and their families?  Well the barbaric handling of our siblings by the respective Arab countries is something you, I and my government need to fight for? 
Girma, I need you to go out of your small box for moment, the globe is becoming one world, so people are moving every where, anytime and for any reason.  So do Ethiopians.  But you are advising the Ethiopian government to establish a new law to restrict human movements..
You are an alive Mengistu Hailemarim and I am ashamed to convince my self he had fled country for good. 
We didn’t say Ethiopia is a heave place, and we didn’t either accept your positions Ethiopia the worst Earth on Earth.  Despite the enormous political social and political problems, we felt that Ethiopia is becoming the beckon of hope.  Ethiopia is now like a rose flower, all the way down thorns but at the top there is a beautiful rosy flower. 
We need to walk together and delicately to catch the rose. 
Ato Girma, So long as you kept yourself in the tunnel, you risk of the goose that gives the golden eggs

Ato Girma I invited you to listen the famous song..
stop snitching, stop laying DVD album

Negro,y dont U write what u really think about At gima the lonely opposition in ethiopian-parliament,instead of lecturing us about the grammer. 
its sad this guy isn’t a constructive opposition but a legal press officer of the extremist diaspora. 
sometimes he sounds like admins from the paltalk rooms. 

@hi grma sefu
i have just a short massage for you and for those who thincks like you. 
living a country after you learn by your own poor people is a matter of consious decition,to serve your people & your country is a moral obligation !!!!! 
i live in Canada and i have been her for the past 25 years,most of my frendes and me to be spesific 75% of as have been back home so many times exept the neftegnoh,power monger die hard diaspora amhras.they don’t represent any body the flip side of it you are represnting them
it is you problem not ours mind your own bissnes.every Ethiopian intelectual is doing the best we can to rebuld mother Ethiopia,to your luck of information
most of the diasporas are turning back home transfering the skill we have to our country it is the other way around grma sefu. 
it is not brain drain like you say it is skill transfer to our people,you may know some “yenat tut nekashoch like you”
her and there but not like you say you have no proof of any thing laier,laier,laier on fair kkkk
long live Eprdf ! 
long live Ethiopia ! 
long live Woyen ! 
grma sefu this is for you long live pm melese zenawe!!!!!!!! 
abay yegedebal !! 
neftegnoch endant yalut yafralu !!!! 

Dear Awramba Times
I appreciate the ideas you raise.  But difficult to read here because of you prepare your writings in pdf attachment form.  This is difficult to read on most of the phones because of the application capacity.  And as you know it is impossible to access your website from computer in Ethiopia.  So, please write down your your news without attachment to simply read here.  Thanks! 

Good-wishing and reality are two different things.  We are fade-up of this kind of empty comment.  I am sure if he or his cohorts are a chance to come to power they will be worsen than the present government in terms of socio-economics achievements.  It is not only the government economic policy stupid, but also as a society we all are stupid.  our perception about government and its role in promoting socio-economic development is wrong.  It is up to us to create job opportunity in Ethiopia.  The sentiment government is the sole source of employment opportunities should be changed to the concept of we all have a responsibility to create job. The bad thing is what the so called oppositions are doing is on the opposite.  Who is saying do not use the Ethiopian air lines, do not buy house in Ethiopia, do not contribute money for the construction of GRD, do not send money to your parents?  This is not against job creating?  Who trying to lobby the foreigners not to loan or provide economic assistance to Ethiopia?  Who is trying to stop Ethiopians from buying a bond for the GRD and advising the foreign governments and their agents to stop the legal process as considering as illegal process?  Akatary hulla! 
It is not only Ethiopia which have a law how the NGO’s should behave and work.  Every country have, and must have a red line.  What is true though is that if the government law is a constraint for creating job, this guy concerns need to be addressed and correct.  But my concern is that knowing the opposition stubborn and deceiving or hideous behavior, hard to believe what this guy is saying about. 
As far as I understood, the majority of Ethiopian leaving their country is not because of what this guy is saying.  First it is personal choice, and second reason is not as many are claiming it is simply seeking a better life.  No one is believing if the economic immigrant claiming as a political immigrant.  It is simply cheating one self.  I know leave alone to go to abroad it was very hard to get a passport.  Even it was unthinkable to go to abroad because of bureaucratic constraints during the past regime.  Now when people have a freedom to choose where and how to live it is up to them to decide.  Blaming the government is an excuse. 
Our oppositions are now adapting a behavior from Shabia, that when you are repeatedly lying it become true.  It is insane living in a “panasia” world you created.  That world does’t exist! 

Migration is a complex issue.  It is dishonest and confusing to describe it in the way it was written.  The title and the content of the Amharic article are disjointed.  Plenty of research are conducted why people migrate from place to place.  Just few words for those who want to enlighten themselves beyond political diatribe:
1.  India is the biggest democratic country and its economy is growing much faster than Ethiopia.  However, India is by far the number one country in producing mass migration.  Why?  It is not due to India’s size.  For instance, China is much more bigger in size, densely populated and less democratic.  However, Chinese are free to migrate where ever they wish to go to any corner of the world just like Indians but they migrate far less than India. 
2.  Migration is not a question of Democracy either.  The biggest migrants in Africa are Ghanaians (not Ethiopian), be it a Doctor, an Engineer or uneducated laborer.  If you compare Ethiopia with Ghana, Ghana is more democratic, having a higher per capita, and rapidly growing oil economy but Ghanaians are labeled as number one wanderer of the continent Africa. 
3.  Biggest number of migrant doctors to the US come from Canada, India, Pakistan and Iran.  If we take African statistics, Ethiopia is nearly insignificant.  The Majority of African migrant doctors to the US come from top 5 countries: South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana and Sudan.  This is fact.  Ethiopia should be at least number 2 based on its population size.  In the UK most African doctors are South African and Nigerian.  In the middle East, the majority of foreign Doctors are from India.  Guess what!!  From Africa, Sudan is number one.  Here is one more amazing fact.  One of the major issue of the Canadian, German and Russian health system is Doctors migration to countries that pay more. 
5.  In Ethiopia, as population increases, the absolute number of migrants will also increase.  That is compounded with also some pull and push factors.  We need to embrace migration (like Philippines, Pakistan, Sudan, India, Egypt, etc.)  and make the best out of it instead of attempting to use it a defunct political tool. 

Abay
Wow…I am glad you take part in this forum. 
Your comment is very much constructive.  In both of the comment thread I can feel the richness of idea you raised.  That is awesome. 
As your rightly said it, how we Ethiopians handle our own Ethiopian house maid, it is something disgusting.  Even sometimes you ask yourself, do Ethiopians have a moral at all? 
I gave you the credit for overseeing this very important matter, but the bad thing is Girma, himself never ever knew he had an obligation to speak for these voiceless..
What do you expect from a man who declared himself a government paid Facebook politician?? 

Girma, himself didn’t have the gut to cut the leash from the toxic Diasporas and let alone to speak on behalf of others.  That is why we find him inexplicably attracted for matters which most don’t matters us. 
What do Ethiopians have indeed a choice, other than witnessing Politicians like Girma

My take on the domestic workers:
Is it not sickening the way we treat those who are domestic workers in Ethiopia itself?  This is our best kept secret.  We dramatize and act as if our humanity is violated when we hear sensational news from the Arab World when a poor girl/women is maltreated there.  We are cowards and morally corrupt because we prefer silence when it comes to our dirty laundry.  We have to clean our mess first at home.  Ethiopia needs a law which regulate the domestic workers issue in its own kitchen.  None of us have raised our voice against the inhuman and nearly slave like handling of domestic workers in our segregated service quarters.  For the poor Ethiopian domestic worker, the world is the same be it in Ethiopia or Saudi Arabia.  At least in Saudi, she is paid more.  YEAZO ENBA!!!  Mr. Girma, you will make a history if you bring a bill to the parliament to stop the inhuman treatment of domestic workers in Ethiopia. 

Don’t ask questions for self proclaimed Ethiopian politicians.  They can write and speak eloquently but they do not realize whether or not what they are writing and speaking is based on fact or have substance.  We have many of them but spend their time for no good.  I think we born only to see others fault; to consider self as absolute right; I Know everything mentality.  We concentrate what went wrong, ignoring what we achieved.  appreciative to positive results and achievements.  If we are not appreciate what has been achieved, we will not be a critical thinker to criticize events objectively.  I just know the writer is a member of parliament.  I appreciate his courage to be there, but not good to develop a habit of I hate everything Diaspora mentality.  Be your self, and serve your constituency.  Ignore the insane Diaspora!  they are good for nothing.  A destructive mentality ready to destruct your own. 

Dear Sir, I really appreciate for your unremitting participation in forwarding your comments in Ethiopian politics and by doing so I think you got many lesson.  On your opinion I want to say something as usual.  First of all it is very natural right for human race to move from place to place or from country to country and even it became less after a political boundaries sat up.  Second of all now a day’s it is common to immigrate to most eastern Europian and some western.  But I ask you that, what do we mean by ‘’job security?’’  how do you relate to 621/2001?  Or you mean most of our people were employed in so called NGO or sometimes as you know called ‘lords of poverty’?  What surprised me next is that ‘ Yetikure Anbesaw Hkime’ and his card analogy.  Do you think the only important staffs for a hospital are only the Drs?  What about the other staffs?  The pharmacist, admin, security, dif Clarks,….  Hahahaha and look the capital city of Brazil 50 years anniversary and EPRDF’s 22 years on power then comes we would have ½ of progress of Brazilia.  This is thinking from an economist.  Look my brother, most of immigrants of our country is from rural area that even does not have any idea about your 621/2001 and NGO and may be one can attach it from our land policy.  And you know by ‘Illegal brokers’ means not to show the cause of ours movements out from Ethiopia but what the matter here is the destiny and safety.  Lastly we know each other’s that most Ethiopian leaving abroad were a burden of Ethiopia if we would leave there for our limitation of skilled and knowledge. I will try my best to see you at Canada.  Thank you