Every year, many young Togolese leave the country to further their higher education abroad. France, Canada, the United States, Germany, Belgium, Morocco and some African countries attract some of these young people in search of training, experience and new opportunities. At the outset, the plan often seems clearly defined: to go abroad and study, obtain a degree, develop skills, and then help Togo’s development upon returning home. But as the end of their studies nears, another question arises: should they return home or stay in their host country?

Behind this question lies a reality more complex than the simple choice between ‘returning home’ and ‘settling abroad’. It reveals the changing nature of African student mobility, the challenges of entering the labour market upon return, but also the opportunities for the exchange of skills between the country of origin and the host country.

Togolese student mobility on the rise

The international mobility of Togolese students is by no means a minor phenomenon. According to a factsheet from Campus France on Togo, 4,645 Togolese students were enrolled in France during the 2022–2023 academic year, a 70 per cent increase over five years. Of these, 39 per cent were women. Universities hosted nearly four out of every five Togolese students.

France is also a major destination for students from sub-Saharan Africa. In 2022, it hosted around 66,000 sub-Saharan students on degree programmes, according to Campus France. In 2023–2024, students from sub-Saharan Africa accounted for approximately 103,450 students amongst foreign students enrolled in French higher education institutions, an increase of 34 per cent over five years.

At a regional level, the trend is even more striking. In 2022, more than 500,000 students from sub-Saharan Africa were enrolled on degree programmes abroad, representing a 29 per cent increase since 2017.

This rise reflects several factors: the search for specialised courses, the appeal of foreign degrees, the limitations of certain local university capacities, the desire to build up international experience and, in some cases, the hope of securing better career prospects.

A degree does not automatically mean a homecoming

The traditional narrative depicts student mobility as a relatively straightforward cycle: departure → study → degree → return → contribution to development.

In reality, the trajectory can take several different paths.

Some graduates do indeed return to Togo. Others extend their stay to complete an internship, look for a job, pursue a PhD or develop a business venture. Some even switch their immigration status and become employees.

This trend is not unique to Togolese nationals. A study published in 2026 by the Directorate-General for Foreign Nationals in France suggests that the pathway from study to employment is a common trajectory amongst international students. In particular, students from Africa and the Middle East are more likely to remain in France for several years than those from other regions.

The OECD has also observed this trend. In France, five years after obtaining their first student visa in 2019, around 27 per cent of students were still in the country on a work-related visa, compared with 23 per cent for the 2015 cohort.

We must therefore avoid a oversimplified view: staying on after one’s studies does not necessarily mean having abandoned one’s country. And homecoming does not necessarily mean that the skills acquired will be used and valued.

Why might staying on become a sensible option?

For a Togolese student who has completed their course, the decision to stay may be driven by very practical considerations.

The first reason is access to employment. After several years of study, a recent graduate may feel it makes more sense to build up a few years’ professional experience before returning home.

The second is the differing levels of pay and working conditions.

The third relates to the professional networks built up during their studies. A young person may have spent several years developing a network of academics, entrepreneurs, companies and international organisations. Returning home immediately could result in losing some of this networking capital.

Finally, certain sectors offer particularly attractive prospects abroad: artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, engineering, research, finance, biotechnology and the energy transition.

Staying abroad can therefore be seen not as a breakup with Togo, but as a further step in an international career path.

But staying abroad is not always a guarantee of success

It would, however, be misleading to portray life abroad as a guaranteed path to success.

A foreign degree does not ensure employment commensurate with one’s qualifications.

Some recent graduates find themselves unemployed for a period, accept jobs below their level of qualification, or go from one precarious contract to another.

The administrative landscape is also a key factor.

In France, for example, a foreign student who has graduated from a French institution with a Master’s degree or its equivalent may, under certain conditions, apply for a residence permit allowing them to look for work or set up a business.

The regulations also offer various pathways towards employment or entrepreneurship.

In other words, the decision to stay does not depend solely on individual will. It is also conditioned by the labour market, immigration status, the field of study, financial resources and the policies adopted by the host country.

What if returning home were also a strategy?

Returning to Togo should not be portrayed as a failure of mobility.

A young graduate returning with international professional experience, new skills, a network and possibly financial capital can be a valuable resource for the national economy.

The real challenge, therefore, is to transform the ‘brain drain’ into a ‘circulation of skills’.

A Togolese engineer who has worked in Europe for a few years can, for example, contribute remotely to a project in Togo. A researcher can collaborate with a Togolese university. An IT specialist can set up a business that works with Togolese clients from abroad. A doctor can help train healthcare professionals back home. An entrepreneur can invest in a local start-up.

Mobility thus becomes a mechanism for the transfer of knowledge, technology, capital and networks.

The crucial role of the Government and universities

For coming home to become an attractive prospect, the responsibility cannot rest solely on young people.

Public policies must create the conditions needed for graduates to make the most of their skills.

This involves, in particular, support schemes for those returning home; mechanisms to ease investment by the diaspora; programmes to connect graduates from abroad with Togolese businesses; partnerships between Togolese universities and foreign institutions; research programmes involving the scientific diaspora; incentives for entrepreneurship; and better recognition of qualifications and experience gained abroad.

The issue is all the more significant given that student mobility continues to rise. Campus France highlights that sub-Saharan Africa now has more than 500,000 students studying abroad, whilst its higher education systems must cater for a rapidly growing student population.

‘Returning’ or ‘staying’: a false alternative?

Ultimately, the question deserves to be reframed. Perhaps the real issue is not where a young Togolese person should live, but how to maintain a productive relationship between that young person and their country of origin, wherever they may be located.

A graduate can live in Paris, Lomé, Montreal or Berlin and continue to contribute to Togo’s economic, scientific or social life.

Contemporary mobility makes precisely this kind of interaction possible. Digital technology enables teleworking, mentoring, collaborative research, remote investment and transnational entrepreneurship. The diaspora can therefore become an extension of the country’s human capital rather than merely a demographic loss.

This approach is, moreover, in line with the analysis found in numerous studies on skilled migration: the departure of a skilled worker does not necessarily mean the end of their contribution to their country of origin.

The real dilemma: leave to return, or leave to move around?

For many Togolese students, the end of their studies therefore represents less a break than a point of migration bifurcation.

While some will return immediately others will stay for a few years. Some will settle permanently abroad whilst maintaining economic and professional ties with Togo. Still others will return after several years.

The pivotal question should rather be: how can Togo benefit from the skills of its young people, whether they are in Lomé, Paris, Montreal or elsewhere?

Student mobility only becomes a real problem when the links between the graduate and their country of origin are severed. Conversely, it can become a tremendous opportunity when the skills, networks, capital and experiences gained abroad can be shared.