Push, Pull, and Belonging: Mapping Mobility Pathways Among Young African Graduates

This paper draws on data from a longitudinal tracer survey, combined with qualitative interviews with graduates from six African countries, to explore the complex relationship between mobility, education, and youth belonging. It examines the push and pull factors that influence decisions to remain in or leave one’s country of birth, and how these mobility choices shape the graduates' sense of identity. Six mobility pathways are identified, ranging from staying home to more complex patterns of temporary or permanent return from outside Africa. The study reveals how socio-economic factors, educational opportunities, and territorial conditions influence mobility decisions, with education often serving as both a driver of social and physical mobility and a marker of constrained opportunities. While some graduates pursued education as a way to seek opportunities abroad, many stayed home due to limited options for relocation, which had a significant impact on their aspirations and sense of belonging. Research in this area is crucial for understanding how mobility intersects with education and identity formation, particularly in the context of Africa’s globalized knowledge economy. The research unpacks how material needs, conditions and mobility mediate graduates’ sense of belonging, as they navigate inter- and cross-continental forms of migration, while supporting kin and trying to realise their aspirations.