Abstract
Migration often involves younger individuals departing home for another location to earn money. This study’s contribution is that it show how migrants, who are part of Niger’s youth majority, desire to be part of its economy. However, they lack formal background with business and social networks, which are both pivotal components for future success. Thus, they could find themselves at risk of being marginalized or having to return to their villages. An exploratory case study strategy was used to investigate what life is like for these young migrants. Personal interviews were conducted via semi-structured surveys. Two over-arching questions regarding respondents’ progress toward accomplishing shorter- and longer-term goals associated with migrating were offered via literature-generated prompts related to residential experiences, home/security/support, migratory habits, work/income, and person identity. On average, respondents’ age was 25 years, had lived in Niamey six years, and relocated annually. They earned enough to make a meager living while sometimes also earning some savings, sending some money back to the family in the village, or attempting a slight combination of the two options after paying for their living expenses. They contemplated marriage, family, and community, but most did not consider themselves as citizens who would one day become established community members, impacting the future. “A need to have hope for the future” was a major theme that resonated with most of the respondents. Although not representative of this study’s theme, suggestions regarding possible future policy inquiry are offered as thought-provoking points of insight for consideration.
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Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Data were analyzed using Sphynx software.
Notes
The fact that 21 of 22 participants hailed from villages within 300 miles from Niamey could suggest a preponderance of Zarma respondents rather than Hausa, but there is no evidence supporting that supposition, we did not ask, they spoke to us both languages, and knowing who was Zarma or Hausa would have not affect the results of this study to the best of our knowledge.
Research strategies focused on understanding the depths occurring within single settings.
There were 15 different neighborhoods where they were known to conduct business.
Given that the median age of the Nigerien population in 2015 was 14.9 years old (Statista 2020), the focus of this study was on young people. Further, we saw no female vendors in areas where we conducted interviews, nor did we have a female research member on our team to approach female vendors should we have encountered any (it can be awkward in Islamic culture for males to approach females). Thus, the focus was on young males (IRB approval is more difficult to obtain when attempting to interview minors, especially for international research). Further, the African Union defines youth, especially poor youth who have not gained social status, as ranging in age from 15 to 34 years old (Eguavoen 2010). We therefore opted to increase and decrease these limits by three years, respectively, and accepted participants between 18 and 31 years of age.
Lugalla (1997) found that sub-Saharan, post-colonial Africa was not equipped to handle the housing situation of migrants in its capital cities; thus, squatter camps were a prevalent result of outward sprawl from the city center.
Though it is presumed many of these respondents, via an informal economy, lend and borrow money among themselves, we did not attempt to quantify this practice as part of the research study.
Central African Franc.
However, in reality, this can be true for any aged person. Hope frequently impacts outlook toward the future.
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Acknowledgements
The International Center supporting the Global Fellows Program at the lead author's university was instrumental in supporting this work as was LASDEL, which assisted greatly with accommodations and support for the field research while it was being conducted in Niamey.
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The authors disclose the receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was partially supported by a Global Fellows Award from the Principal Investigator’s university.
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RC and MY conducted the field research, data analysis, and manuscript drafting. MY assisted in the Hausa and Zarma translations to French manuscript drafting. HH contributed insights with interpretation of data and with the manuscript drafting. LF and TI assisted with theoretical work prior to the field analysis in developing the semi-structured survey. VC assisted in translational verification of the French-to-English manuscript drafting.
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Cantrell, R., Yaye’, M., Hungerford, H. et al. Young migrants’ views of their present and future in Niamey and Niger. SN Soc Sci 1, 134 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-021-00150-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-021-00150-5