africa: Recruiting Africans Abroad
The underdevelopment of Africa through the much talked about brain drain dates back to the period of the slave trade when a substantial part of Africa's able bodied labour force were carted to Europe and America. In his award winning book ''How Europe underdeveloped Africa'' the late Patrick Wilmot stated that the lack of economic progress by African countries stems from the age long problem of brain drain. Today, that phenomenon is a fatal cancer eating deep into the tissues of the African soul. But as we are made to understand, help is not too far away.
Recruiting Africans Abroad for the Continent's Multinationals
By George Noah
http://www.africarecruit.com/
The underdevelopment of Africa through the much talked about brain drain dates back to the period of the slave trade when a substantial part of Africa's able bodied labour force were carted to Europe and America. In his award winning book ''How Europe underdeveloped Africa'' the late Patrick Wilmot stated that the lack of economic progress by African countries stems from the age long problem of brain drain.
Today, that phenomenon is a fatal cancer eating deep into the tissues of the African soul. But as we are made to understand, help is not too far away. But first some shocking analysis and statistics.
The executive secretary of African Capacity Building Foundation (ABCF), Soumana Sako says ''The brain drain represents a major challenge for sustained growth and development''. Sako said ''Unless it is effectively addressed, the flight of skilled professionals and academics from Africa will severely undermine the prospects of successful transformation of the continent in the 21st century''. The key concern for Sako was that the magnitude of the outflow of African skilled professionals and academics to developing countries had become more or less a pandemic. Last year, a United Nations conference held in Ethiopia considered the issue. Experts there had called for the improvement in working conditions and more value given to their work.
According to a United Nations Development Programme Human Development Report for 1998, there were more than 21,000 Nigerian doctors practising in the United States alone while Nigeria's health system suffered from a severe lack of medical practitioners! The Nigerian government has since set up a database to keep track of Nigerian professionals abroad. But like all government initiatives, the enthusiasm is always suspect.
Zimbabwe has equally suffered massive brain drain to western countries, especially the United Kingdom where nurses, teachers and social workers have been flocking to. In Ghana, the UN reckoned that
60 per cent of that country's citizens trained locally in the 1980s had left the country. In Sudan, 17 per cent of doctors and dentists,
20 per cent of university lecturers, 30 per cent of engineers and 45 per cent of surveyors had gone to work abroad.
In 1999, it was estimated that 39,000 South Africans left the country to join the 1.6m already living abroad. Officially, 10,262 people emigrated in the first 10 months of last year, according to the South African government's data agency, Statistics South Africa. The Financial Times of London reports that in 2002, more than 30,000 South African professionals with skills in great demand in the West, such as engineering, medicine, accounting and banking left the country for Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US and the United Kingdom. The South African Government says the UK is the number one accuse when it looks at countries raiding its labour market. The UK has been relentless in poaching the country's best teachers. British education authorities are currently experiencing a teacher shortage and are looking abroad for talent. South African teaching unions have said that they understand the desire of many to go abroad as there are better salaries and better working conditions on offer. There are no official statistics about the number of teachers who have left South Africa, but estimates put the figure at about 8,000. The "brain drain" has not only had an impact on South Africa's teaching profession, the country has also lost a large number of doctors and nurses.
Last year, an east London head teacher travelled to Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth in South Africa with supply agency TimePlan to interview 150 potential recruits. Mr Lucas is head teacher of Essex Primary School in the London Borough of Newham - and like many other schools, he is struggling to find enough staff. "If it wasn't for the Australian, New Zealand, South African and Canadian teachers, half the schools in London would have to shut," said Lucas.
Whatever the UK government says to play down the teacher shortage, Lucas is unequivocal that it is a real problem and is not going to go away in a hurry. And like many other schools, Essex primary has become more and more dependent on overseas teachers, usually hired through supply agencies, who spend a couple of years in Europe before returning home. Last year President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa called for a reversal of the situation that regularly see scientists and engineers emigrate to the west.
To reverse the brain drain, The Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) a membership-based organisation for the promotion of economic growth through international trade and investment, set up AfricaRecruit to help Africans residing abroad to take up jobs home. The 54 Commonwealth nations make up 40% of the World Trade Organisation and comprise more than 17,000 listed companies.
The CBC has set up a sophisticated database system to help track graduate, professional and executives who are interested in working in Africa. Part of its strategy is working with Africa's multinationals who have job openings and organising recruitment fairs and head hunting exercises. The first of such events takes place between March
12-13 at the Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington Green, London, N1 0QH, United Kingdom. Similar events will be held in Paris in June, in New York in November, and in Africa at a time and location to be decided.
CBC Chief Executive Dr Mohan Kaul said reversing the Africa brain drain fits in perfectly with the aims and objectives of his organisation. "We have been surprised and gratified to see how much pent-up desire there is among Africans to 'go home'," says Dr. Titilola Banjoko, co-founder and managing director of the CBC's Find a Job in Africa.com. "People think employment in Africa is based on nepotism - not so," says Banjoko.
"I have done the research. I am Nigerian, and I made a field trip to Nigeria and South Africa to assess the market. All I had to do was look at the classified adverts in the newspapers. Employers are desperate for trained staff - and they love it when they find applicants trained abroad. When I got back I wrote a proper business plan, looking at all the angles of a focused human resource strategy."
Funto Akinkugbe, head of the CBC's AfricaRecruit scheme said "There is a significant interest among young professionals of African origin to return to live and work in Africa. What has been lacking is a practical mechanism to find and connect with these people. Africa's economic development requires that the historical brain drain from the African continent be reversed and turned into a brain gain. We must make use of the scientific and managerial skills of Africans in the diaspora."
Akinkugbe says Africa's multinationals taking part in the March job fair have commenced preselection interviews and are prepared to hire ahead of the event so long as the right candidates are found. ''We are appealing to candidates to register and take advantage of the preselection exercise''. For more information about the CBC Africa Recruit event 2003, please Tel:(+44) 20 7930 4920, Tel:(+44) 1959 700 205 , Fax:(+44) 207930
3944, Fax:(+44) 1959 570 484 or visit the website;http://www.africarecruit.com/.
George Noah
About the CBC I
NTRODUCTION
The Commonwealth Business Council was established in 1997 at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Edinburgh, UK, to act as a bridge for co-operation between business and government to promote policies that enhance trade and investment within the Commonwealth. It is a membership-based organisation with currently over 170 corporate members directing and funding its work.
The CBC is led by a management board of business leaders drawn from all regions of the Commonwealth. The CBC has already attracted private sector membership of about 150 leading corporations from 24 Commonwealth countries and has undertaken a range of activities to encourage partnership, development and growth of trade and investment in the Commonwealth With over 20 per cent of world trade originating in Commonwealth countries and with the increased mobility of capital, the comparative advantages which the world-wide network of Commonwealth nations brings to business are considerable. The CBC’s close relationship with governments and institutions enables it to present policy recommendations directly to leading decision-makers; promote public-private and business-to-business dialogue; and create substantial networking opportunities for Commonwealth countries.
Through its members, the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) aims to reflect and actively promote the views and insights of the private sector in the Commonwealth.
VOICE OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR
The Commonwealth Business Council is a membership-based organisation, with corporate members directing and funding its work. Led by 12 business leaders drawn from all Commonwealth regions, membership is open to a limited number of leading companies based in Commonwealth countries and doing business in other member states, represented at the level of Chairman, Chief Executive Officer or board member. All members pay an annual subscription, and can draw on a range of services and participate in all CBC activities.
Membership of the CBC is important for any company wishing to broaden its presence in other regions and markets of the Commonwealth and beyond; which seeks productive relationships with government leaders; which wants direct input into the development of trade, investment and economic policy; and which is looking for opportunities to establish and build relationships with other business people around the world.
AGENDA FOR ACTION
Providing opportunities for dialogue between governments and the private sector. Facilitating business-to-business networking across the Commonwealth. Promoting a good business environment in Commonwealth countries, and encouraging best practice in corporate governance, business development, investment promotion and public-private sector partnerships. Enhancing the participation of developing countries in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and engaging the private sector more directly in international trade negotiations. Strengthening private sector institutions, such as chambers of commerce and industry associations. Providing a source of reliable and relevant information about trade, investment and business opportunities in the Commonwealth.