Expert warns of "mass exodus" from Africa - and says what Europe must do now

More and more people are making their way from Africa to Europe, warns an expert - and says what politicians must do now to prevent mass exodus.

• An Africa expert warns of a mass exodus from the African continent.
• The corona crisis is fueling the situation, especially in economic terms.
• In summary, his appeal to European governments is: stop working with corrupt governments.

Munich - "The real migration from the African continent is still ahead of Europe", Asfa-Wossen Asserate, management consultant and political analyst, is convinced. Currently, most of the refugees arriving in Europe come from war and crisis areas in Syria and Afghanistan - but thousands of people from Africa are already on their way to Europe because they no longer see a future for themselves in their homeland, Asserate said in Focus.

In order to prevent more and more people from making their way to Europe, European politics * must act now, demands Asserate - and radically change some of the conventional development policy in the process.

Preventing mass exodus from Africa: relying on education, women and health

“They leave their home country because they cannot live there or because they are afraid of persecution and cannot breathe freely. You leave everything behind and go on your way. No risk seems too great for them ”, writes Asserate in view of people who - seemingly against all common sense - embark on the dangerous path into an uncertain future.

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The health consequences of the current corona crisis have so far been limited, according to Asserate - but it is becoming apparent that the economic effects * "will be devastating". But not only the measures related to Corona, but also climate change could further fuel the reasons for fleeing.

As the organization Medico International describes, in the Corona crisis it is mainly the citizens of African countries who are committed to their countries and thereby achieve important successes in the fight against the pandemic * . In South Africa, for example, there are health workers who commit their lives to the health of everyone, while politicians fail to find lasting answers to the crisis - a crisis that was normal even before the Corona. One approach has to be to support local initiatives, education and women, according to Asserate - but that doesn't go far enough for the expert.

Preventing mass exodus from Africa: ending cooperation with African dictators

Above all, Europe must rely on Africa to be governed well at last, said Asserate: “Far too often, development funds do not reach those for whom they are intended. In the hands of the ruling kleptocrats, money becomes an instrument for maintaining power and provides the lubricant for rampant corruption. ”Many of the rulers would also use the current state of emergency to secure their retention of power.

Europe must end cooperation with governments that do not care about the well-being of their compatriots, trample on human rights and, above all, are concerned with their own well-being - without prescribing politics. Ultimately, it is the Africans themselves who have to bring about the change. But they need support in the fight for their own rights. (kat) * Merkur.de is part of the Germany-wide Ippen-Digital editors network