Brain Drain and Economic Growth in African Countries: Do Institutions Quality Matter

Migration is a multidimensional phenomenon; it can affect both the qualified and the unqualified persons. The outflow of the most qualified person from less developing countries to the developed nations becomes a source of anxiety for them because migration continues to deprive the origin countries from their best human resources. The existing literature lacks a consensus on the relationship between brain drain and economic growth. This paper examines the impact of brain drain on economic growth in the presence of good governance in a sample of 39 African countries from 2006 to 2023. We used random effects (RE) and system generalized method of moment (S-GMM).The results reveal that brain drain negatively affected economic growth in African countries. However, our results show that good governance can mitigate the harmful effects of brain drain on economic growth. Policymakers in African countries must reinforce institutional frameworks in order to retain and attract skilled talent, encouraging them to remain and build their futures within their home countries.