In this episode, we are joined from Nigeria by Jaye Gaskia, a Marxist political analyst specialized in labor policy, and Natalia Navas who researches migrant labor policy at Cornell University, USA, to answer the question: is Africa’s current labour exportation frenzy nothing more than state-sponsored slave-trade?

Today, every territory experiencing labour shortages due to dwindling populations is looking to Africa to fill its quota. Even Russia and Israel, amidst labour shortages caused by the Ukraine conflict and the Gaza offensive, are looking to Africa for labour. At every turn, African leadership obliges, with labour emigration now forming a significant policy pillar in addressing unemployment in many countries. This is despite numerous reports of the abuse and exploitation African migrant workers face across the world.

Our governments do not seem interested in or capable of implementing interventions to develop the productive capacities necessary to absorb the bulging youth population, or to require importers to enact robust migrant labour protection policies.

We ask, are the bodies of our young, strong, our best and brightest, yet another outflow from the African continent that can be quantified as part of the “hidden transfer of value” which Samir Amin describes as taking place “subtly and almost invisibly, without the overt violence of colonial occupation”, and therefore does not provoke protest?

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