Intellectual migration is a movement of people from their home countries to another country because they felt that what they want to achieve will not be easily done in their own country. It is also called brain drain.
It is one of the biggest obstacles to the development of most third world countries. People with immense abilities and talents always seek greener pastures. The first law of human nature is that everyone seeks happiness. These noble men and women use all means at their disposal to exit their countries because they are searching for a better life or a presumed better life. It affects the development of a country in these ways.
It leads to a lack of manpower because most of the eligible workers are seeking greener pastures outside the shores of the country.
2. It leads to a lack of teachers for the molding of the minds of the younger generation, and in so doing creates a vacuum in the society. These results to lack of role models for the younger generation.
3. It leads to underdevelopment because these intellectuals who leave these countries could have invested their resources and abilities towards the building of the country.
4. It leads to dictatorial and authoritarian governments, since the intellectuals who understand the way things ought to be done are not many in the country, the government can ride on the ignorance of the population and use absolute power in excess. This will scuffle the country.
5. It leads to low human resource capacity, when these intellectuals are not in the country, the vast majority of the people becomes unskilled and unprepared to face the challenges ahead.
6. It increases the lack of loyalty to home countries, most of these intellectuals who left their countries will look down on the country. Those who will later try to change the status quo will be in minority. And those who made it outside their own country will pledge their allegiance to another country.
7. It makes the image of a country to be blunt in the world because countries are brought to limelight by amazing talents and discoveries by her citizens. Their human potentials speak more about a country.
8. It leads to low foreign direct investments. Every business will like to invest in an environment where the workforce is indigenous and potentials are found. It reduces the cost of maintaining expatriates who will come to fill in the gaps. So a good human resource is one of the drivers of investments in a country.
9. It leads to unemployment. When those who have immense abilities leave their own countries to somewhere else to develop their dreams, their home countries do not benefit in terms of job creation. This makes it difficult for some of them to be gainfully employed because not everyone has the capacity to own their own business or be self-employed.
10. It denies countries their tendency to tap into their natural resources and environmental endowments. Creativity leads to development and better living conditions. Without creative people, a country won't exponentially grow to attract good talents as well. All these are drivers of development and revenue generation for a country.
11. It undermine the image of the home country which these intellectuals move away from because it means that the country is not safe and progressive. In this light it deter investors away from the country
