Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Cameroon, among other African countries, have top the lists of the African countries whose nationals seek better opportunities overseas, a new survey by Afrobarometer has indicated.  

The top African countries, which have 9 percentage points, with double-digit, is a significant increase compared to the proportion recorded in the year 2016/2018. 

The new survey by Afrobarometer, a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life, surveyed 22 African countries.

It revealed that almost half of Africans (22%) would have considered emigrating within the region or elsewhere on the African continent. 

The most preferred destinations for the emigrants are North America (31%) and Europe (29%), though a significant proportion of potential migrants would prefer to relocate within Africa.

Among those who have considered migrating, about half (49%) cite finding work as the most important reason, while 29% are motivated by a desire to escape economic hardship or poverty.

However, almost a quarter (22%) would prefer to move to another country within the region or elsewhere on the African continent.

According to the reports, the primary motivating factors for emigrating are to find jobs and escape economic hardship.

Although the desire to migrate has increased in many African countries, Tanzania stands out as the only country where emigration intentions have declined. 

Tanzania is the only surveyed country where the proportion of citizens giving at least some thought to emigration has decreased with (-5 points).