(1 video; 12 papers, 3 with)

Title of panel:

Long abstract:
This panel deals with one of the major dilemmas (and contradictions) within the migration and development nexus debate linked to the labor market needs and impact of knowledge migration. These dilemmas (and contradictions) can be juxtaposed with the reality of demographic shifts and economic globalization and digitalization/automation that has altered modes of production and labor market conditions. The need to meet new labor market demands and address domestic economic growth challenges drives both political debate and policy priorities within the European Union. International knowledge migration is one dimension of human mobility that receives a lot of policy attention especially on the perceived implications for European economies and societies as well as the countries of origin. The effects of this pattern of mobility is framed within the debates about 'Brain drain'/ 'brain gain' /'brain circulation' and conceptualized through the lens of economics of labor migration but also within perspectives that examine the interdependencies between development and migration or consider migrants as transnational development agents.

In the case of Africa, many trained knowledge workers join the African intellectual diaspora abroad in large numbers. Policy responses in recent times include efforts by European funding agencies to support African knowledge development. However, questions that remain challenging include What is the evidence of costs and benefits of International knowledge migration, and what are the effects of policies aimed at knowledge migration from Africa? What roles do the African diaspora intellectuals play in nurturing, or challenging Africa's knowledge sector? And what about the roles of diaspora intellectuals in decolonizing the academy, both in Europe and in Africa.

12 Accepted papers:
1	Aid for whom? Facilitating skilled migration through the Czech government scholarship programme for students from developing countries
2	Epistemic networks and Ghanaian/African academy: a work in progress
3	West African migration regimes in the context of EU externalised migration management policies: the case of EU-Niger agreement
4	The paradox of international knowledge migration: the case of mental health advocacy and practice in Ghana
5	Migration a vessel for knowledge transformation, acquisition, perfection and circulation; the case of Ghana
6	Brain gain (skilled emigrants) and economic development in Sub-Saharan countries
7	Leveraging the potentials of the African diasporas for development in the countries of origin: the role of transnational activities
8	Digitalization, skills transfer, and the migration of ideas: leveraging international skills migration for development in Africa?
9	Re-thinking international knowledge migration and the value of diaspora skills and experiences: the case of Kenyan diasporas in The Netherlands
10	Changing the diaspora engagement narrative: the relevance of knowledge from Africa's diaspora in Africa
11	Sending and receiving migrant remittances from abroad: critical insights from Ghanaian diaspora in Germany
12	Mass skilled migration and development: the implications for Nigeria's healthcare