When U.S. President Donald Trump stood at the United Nations General Assembly and called African migrants “criminal immigrants,” many of us bristled.
But Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama pushed back, insisting that our youth are not criminals but hardworking people chasing better opportunities.
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Both men missed the point. The real question is not whether our young people are criminals, it’s why millions feel compelled to leave Africa in the first place.
The push factors we refuse to face
Every year, thousands of young Africans cross deserts, risk drowning in the Mediterranean, or hide in cargo containers just for a shot at Europe or North America. Why?
Because home has failed them.
- Jobs are scarce: Our economies cannot absorb the millions graduating each year.
- Corruption is rampant: Public funds meant for schools, hospitals, and industries vanish.
- Social protections are weak: Unlike in the West, there are no cushions for the unemployed or underemployed.
- Dignity feels absent: Many believe even menial work abroad brings more respect than staying jobless at home.
This is not migration by choice but it is migration by desperation.
Debunking the “criminal” label
The idea that African migrants are flooding Western prisons is false.
Studies repeatedly show that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born citizens in the U.S. and Europe.
Our migrants are not criminals. They are nurses caring for the sick, engineers building roads, and students striving for knowledge.
The tragedy is not their presence abroad but their absence at home.
The true cost of the exodus
Africa spends scarce resources educating its youth, only to watch them serve other nations.
This “brain drain” is a slow bleed of doctors, teachers, and entrepreneurs, the very people we need to build functioning economies.
Yes, remittances help families back home. But they cannot substitute for having our best minds on the ground, driving industries, and creating opportunity.
What must change
If African leaders want to stop this mass exodus, speeches at the UN won’t cut it. Action will.
- Create Jobs at Scale: Invest in agro-processing, manufacturing, and tech industries that can absorb millions of workers.
- Back Youth Entrepreneurs: Provide grants, mentorship, and low-interest loans to young innovators.
- Reform Education: Link schooling to actual market needs with vocational training, not just degrees.
- Fight Corruption Relentlessly: Without accountability, all promises collapse.
- Give Youth a Stake: Involve young people in policymaking so they see a future worth staying for.
Conclusion
Trump’s insult should not be our focus. The insult is when African youth see no hope at home.
Migration will never end, nor should it. But when it becomes the only path to dignity and survival, our governments have failed.
The future of Africa cannot be built from Toronto, London, or Paris.
It must be built in Accra, Lagos, Nairobi, and Johannesburg by young Africans who believe staying is better than leaving.
That belief will only come when leaders stop defending Africa abroad and start fixing Africa at home.
By Stephen Armah Quaye
