The factors that influence someone’s decision to pursue their vocation in a host country can be numerous. In this interview with Dialogue Migration, Lydia, a national of the Central African Republic, shares her experiences in Benin and Niger.
Lydia*, a mother of two, recently returned to Cotonou from Niamey, where she had been living. She came to Benin to renew her passport. In her thirties, Lydia is a trained nurse who had worked in the health sector in her home country of Cameroon, she told Dialogue Migration.
As her country’s consulate is located in Cotonou, she expected to travel back once her passport was ready. However, things did not go as planned. “My passport was issued, so I went to the Niger Embassy in Benin. They told me I couldn’t get a visa because the borders were closed,” she explained.
Faced with this situation, which has persisted between the two countries since the coup on 26 July 2023, particularly the closure of the border between Benin and Niger, she made a difficult decision. “I asked my sister to sell my belongings in Niamey, because I will ultimately have to settle down in Benin,” she said.
Career Choices
Lydia finds life in Benin more challenging than in Niger, especially in her chosen field. “Salaries are more attractive in the restaurant sector in Niger,” she says.
However, her view on integration is quite different: “I didn’t feel like a foreigner here. On the contrary, in Benin, foreigners are protected. In Niger, if you don’t have the right documents, you can be arrested and jailed. You might or might not be released the next day. But here, whether you have your ID card or not, you can move around freely.”
Several factors influenced Lydia’s professional choices outside her home country, including demand and supply in the sector. Despite having put her initial training on hold during her time in Niger, she maintains that she never fully abandoned it.
However, she does acknowledge that she chose to work in the restaurant industry.
“I chose this sector because it offers higher earnings in Niger than the healthcare sector,” Lydia explains. “It also pays more than I would make as a nurse in Cameroon.”
Having spent about six months in Benin, Lydia has now settled into working in a local restaurant. Although she hopes to return to Niger one day, she is making the most of her situation in Cotonou and continues to pursue her dreams of a better future.
*Pseudonym.
