Since decolonisation, approximately 40% of all African professionals have left the continent’s shores, and the skills shortage in Africa is subsequently a critical constraint on investment, job creation and improved public services. As a direct consequence of this loss of skills, it has been estimated that the continent spends close to $4bn on technical assistance each year across sectors such as health, education, environment and public management.

African leaders have identified this problem and the huge challenge it poses. The recognition of the importance of diaspora, and the attempt to reinvigorate social, political and economic life, are attempts to turn the historic “brain drain” into a “brain gain”. Simultaneously, a major demographic shift is taking place, as the baby boomers are getting ready to retire. By one estimate, half of the top people at America’s 500 leading companies will retire over the next five years, while an international competition for recruiting the best and the brightest is “hotting” up.

African countries have to compete on an international level with everyone else to ensure that critical skills are available to support their economies. Most of these countries, with their inept governments and chronic instability, are doing a “phenomenal job” of exporting their best and brightest to other countries.

A recent survey indicates evidence of such:

• The majority of those surveyed lived in Europe and North America.
• 75% to 80% of them completed the majority of their schooling in Africa.
• Most of them had very little work experience in Africa before leaving the continent.
• The majority of them intend to return to Africa within seven years.
• Those who do not intend to return left because of political reasons and the lack of security.
• The majority of them had been sending money home to family.
• The money sent to family was mainly for consumption and personal responsibilities, and it was usually sent by hand or International Money Transfer.

Despite some setbacks in Africa’s political progress, the growth of democratically elected governments and the improvement in political and economic governance in many countries have increased the interest in African’s diaspora to engage constructively. Many African governments have taken the initiative to create awareness of job opportunities and employment within Africa.

Some initiatives include:

• Enabling private and public sector African employers and global economies with a footprint in Africa, as well as working together to boost skills inflow into key managerial and technical areas
• Fostering a debate in Africa and internationally with the African diaspora on how to contribute to an African- wide skilled strategy to change attitudes and perspectives and to ensure that governments and employers work together to make skill transfer easier, including opportunities to self-employed Africans
• Addressing cultural, social and other barriers, developing best practice among the identification and retention of professionals from outside and enabling the labour market to become more flexible

For further information with respect to talent retention please contact Helen Bimbassis

Tel: +27 (0)83 288 3748

Email: hbimbassis@gmail.com

Twitter: @HBimbassis