The prospect of allowing Africans to move freely across the continent’s borders is a common source of economic anxiety, a survey by Afrobarometer found.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents preferred to see fewer or no job seekers admitted into their country, the Ghana-based polling company found.
Xenophobic unrest in South Africa, where violent mobs have forced thousands of African foreigners to flee the country, has thrust migration into the spotlight. Events in the continent’s most advanced economy appear to support one of Afrobarometer’s findings that the most educated, skilled, and wealthiest Africans tend to be most resistant to immigration, especially if they are from relatively rich countries.
These views exist alongside an increased desire for mobility on the continent: Nearly half of those who took part in the survey of 38 countries said they had considered emigrating.
