Zimbabwe has lost significant skills over the last decade. A number of studies have come up with different figures on the scale of the ‘brain drain’. One such study, the Zimbabwe Brain Drain Study Report (2003) which was directed by Professor Christopher Chetsanga, estimates that the country lost over 400, 000 professionals between 1990 and 2002. A recent study estimates that 25 per cent Zimbabweans are living outside the country. According to Wikipedia, ‘brain drain’ or human capital flight is a large emigration of individuals with technical skills or knowledge, normally due to conflict, lack of opportunity, political instability, or health risks. Brain drain is usually regarded as an economic cost, since emigrants usually take with them the fraction of value of their training sponsored by the government. Brain drain has largely been associated with developing countries where marketable skills are not financially rewarded. The inclusive government has since recognised the need to tap into the country’s immense human capital skills resident in the Diaspora for national development. A number of strategic policy options are being proffered along these lines. Earlier this week, Shereni Jongwe (SJ) interviewed Professor Chetsanga (CC) on his views on what needs to be done to deal with the issue of brain drain.
SJ: Good morning Chris. I would have wanted to interview you on the subject matter of nanotechnology as a follow-up to your presentation last Thursday at the British Council Management Express Forum, but that will have to wait for some other time! Now, Chris, you have been directly involved with the Zimbabwe Brain Drain Study Report which examined the issue of brain drain. Could you tell us the key findings of that study?
CC: Good morning Shereni. That study made a number of findings. The study concluded that brain drain in Zimbabwe was based on the global phenomenon associated with man’s quest for better opportunities in life. An examination of the professions of those who were leaving the country showed that a sizable share was made up of teachers and nurses. Indeed, according to the survey, the health care sector was the most affected. Many were leaving because health care and education spending cuts denied them reasonable salary levels in Zimbabwe. Proportionately, some professions then appeared to have small numbers of people who had emigrated, but these emigrants were highly skilled and therefore critical to Zimbabwe’s development agenda. The experience of Zimbabwean companies has been that most of the people they were losing to job offers elsewhere were the highest paid in the company. Their departure was therefore a major loss not only to Zimbabwean companies, but also as tax payers to the Zimbabwe government. Most Zimbabweans in the Diaspora informed the study team that they were not happy to leave Zimbabwe, but were forced to do so by economic factors.
SJ: It is now nearly a decade since the results of that study and the country remains blighted by the challenge of brain drain. What has worked and what has not worked in terms of the study’s recommendations?
CC: Our study was concluded around the time when economic decline was becoming manifest and it actually worsened thereafter. One recent study indicates that at least 25 per cent Zimbabweans are outside the country confirming the role of economic factors as a key push factor in the country’s emigration. There have been other push factors. For instance, 7 per cent of the respondents in our study had left for political reasons while others cited issues pertaining to media laws and property rights. Others, like scientists, left to work in countries where research and development (R&D) is actively done with the latest generation of equipment and support is guaranteed. Overall, we need to focus on improving the economic factors if we are to stem the brain drain or brain drain from other countries.
SJ: Globally, a number of policy initiatives have been proffered in response to the brain drain. In your own view, what needs to be done to deal with the brain drain?
CC: For Zimbabwe to counter the strong impact of the globalisation economic forces, the country needs to undertake a number of important measures. First, there is need to set up knowledge networks whereby our Diasporans can contribute solutions to the expertise needs of the country. Knowledge networks jointly deploy advanced information and distributed computing technologies. Already, the Ministry of Higher & Tertiary Education, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration has since launched a Zimbabwe Human Capital Website which will provide a platform for us to communicate with our Diasporan Zimbabweans. Second, there is need to enrich the work environment for employee development and career growth. At the core of this approach is the need to nurture high levels of employee engagement through regular training and sound career pathing. Third, some African leaders have proposed that a Diasporan destination country be made to pay a fee for each Diasporan that it gets from an African country. This fee will recompense the brain drained country for costs that it incurred in training the Diasporan under consideration.
SJ: The institutions of higher learning, particularly the universities and technical colleges, have borne the biggest brunt of the brain drain. What sort of strategies need to crafted to assure that the competitiveness of our educational systems
CC: The country’s universities must be provided with well-trained lecturing staff who are reasonably remunerated so as to ensure that they resist the pull factors of the Diaspora. This will provide Zimbabwe with a stable expertise base. Their teaching, research and development activities must be appropriately funded so as to enable them to effectively impart knowledge and skills to their trainees Universities need to ‘think outside the box’ and consider private-public partnerships in their quest to unlock funding. Knowledge is an unexcelled weapon for development as it enables mankind to exploit planet earth’s resources in a more sophisticated and sustainable way. This strategy will enable the country to produce a competent workforce. Furthermore, the provision of competitive remuneration packages, properly maintained research facilities and adequate research funding levels will enable the country to attract back the skills it has lost to the Diaspora.
Shereni is principal consultant at Global Workforce Solutions (Pvt) Ltd. He can be contacted via sms 073 3 306 193/0913 002 275 or by e-mail: consultgws@gmail.com
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