AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECT OF BRAIN DRAIN “JAPA SYNDROME” ON AGILE PRACTITIONERS DEVELOPING HEALTHCARE INFORMATION SYSTEMS SOFTWARE IN NIGERIA

Within the software engineering context, agile approaches encourage customer collaboration, iterative development, and flexibility. However, the mass exodus of highly skilled professionals, known as the “brain drain” or "Japa Syndrome," has emerged as a significant challenge, especially in Nigeria. This phenomenon has particularly impacted agile software development practitioners by undermining project continuity, knowledge transfer, and team dynamics. This study empirically examines the effect of brain drain, “Japa Syndrome,” on agile practitioners developing healthcare information systems software in Nigeria. It employed a qualitative, multi-method approach to gather empirical data from 13 agile practitioners in Nigeria’s healthcare information systems sector. The study used semi-structured, open-ended interview questions and snowball sampling from our network of professional experts. The collected data were analysed using a grounded theory-based approach, including open coding, constant comparison, memoing, and reaching theoretical saturation. The study identified 24 codes and organised them into five memos, which cover the sudden loss of agile team members, increased technical debt, delays in decision-making, psychological effects on the agile team, and organisational coping mechanisms. The contribution of this research is a detailed analysis of these five memos. We recommend urgent systemic policy reforms and the development of a privacy and secure-by-design culture. These measures are vital to minimise reputational damage and to maintain the viability and competitiveness of Nigeria's healthcare information systems software development.