Stay in the Abroad or Go Back Home?

At some point in our journey as international students, this question keeps coming up: Do I stay in the West, or do I go back home after studying?

For me, it definitely has. And I won’t lie, this hasn’t been an easy choice to make.

I know I really want to go back home. But the realities are what they are.

I see potential, a lot of it. And I don’t mean social work. I’m not trying to position myself as some hero who’s going to save the country. I’m not delusional. I know I won’t save anyone. I’m not some genius who’s suddenly going to fix everything just by showing up.

The reason I’m thinking of going back is simple: I see real economic opportunities in Africa.

The consumer economy is booming, especially with how young the population is and how fast people are getting educated. I want to build industries, things people actually use every day.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the financial sector, especially e-banking. Everyone has a phone, and it’s obvious traditional banking isn’t cutting it. Most banks don’t offer anything attractive. Loans, credit, these aren’t part of everyday economic life. So why even have a bank account?

People want their money where they can see it, on their phones, in their pockets. What they want even more is to be able to make instant transactions, get payment guarantees, warranties. That’s the opportunity. That’s where something big could happen.

But… should I go back now and try to build that?

Probably not.

Two reasons:

1. I have no idea where to even start.
2. I don’t have the knowledge or the connections.

And the tricky part? The knowledge is in the "West", meaning high technological research and resources. The connections are in Niger. How do you reconcile the two?

I don’t know.

What I do know is that I’ve decided to go back this summer and intern at a local company. I want to get a real sense of what the job market feels like. Because so far, I’ve only seen Niger as a consumer, and from the safety of my family bubble. I don’t actually know what it means to work there.

Three months isn’t much. But I’m hoping it’ll give me some clarity. A better idea of my next steps. Or at least… something to hold onto.

So yes, I want to go back. And honestly, the sooner the better. But I don’t have a clear plan yet.

And that’s just where I am right now.