Focus on Africa: Connecting the Diaspora
Dr BanjokoAfricaRecruit
Council for Education in the Commonwealth 2005 Annual
Conference - Keeping the Commonwealth Connected
27th June 2005
Who we areAfricaRecruit is a programme of AU/NEPAD,Commonwealth &CBC connecting the
Diaspora to Africa
Channel resources (skills or investment) through secondary or tertiary avenues, while they remain in the Diaspora
Facilitate & enable capacity building using the Diaspora asone of the main drivers.
Diaspora are a very valuable resource and powerful force or tool forrebuilding their country
Other parts of Europe, North America, Asia and within Africa
Commission for Africa (CFA) 3 recommendations on investing in capacity building e.g. skilled professionals
African DiasporaThe African community in the Diaspora has a major role to play in the new task of transformation, reconstruction and regeneration. Their experience, values, knowledge and creativity are very much required to join with home-based efforts to ensure the overall improvement in the African condition. Rebuilding Africa is a collective challenge.
“ I came to appreciate the sheer quantum and quantity of Nigerians resident abroad and working as professionals and academics, whose expertise in my view could be harnessed for national development”
H.E President Olusegun Obasanjo –Chairperson African Union
Human Capital- Connecting skills
Intellectual flight-The United Nations calls brain drain one of the greatest threats to economic development in sub-Saharan Africa.
In many ways, the loss of skills could be counted as Africa’s foreign assistance to the developed world!
Departures…
Between 1985 -1990
Africa lost over 60,000 middle-level and high-level managers.
About 23,000 lecturers/yr from African universities emigrate
Every year 23,000 graduates leave Africa
The emigration of technically skilled people has left 20,000 scientists and engineers in Africa, servicing a population of about 600m
One of Africa’s greatest offshore asset
Approximately 40% of all African professionals have left the continent's shoresover the decades (20,000/yr in the 90’s)
Approximately 3.8 millions Africans live outside Africa mainly in Europe and North America. Over 50% boast tertiary and or postgraduate qualifications.
AfricaRecruit survey in 2003 showed that over half of the 1st generation Diaspora respondents were educatedin Africa
Approximately 75% had postgraduate qualifications
54% left Africa for career and professional developments
67% would like to return to Africa within the next 0-5 years
The lack of available managerial, technical and professional skills is a very practical constraint on investment and growth. “Without the right skills, the jobs, wealth and improved social services envisaged by NEPAD cannot be created”. The Labour market is a calibration index of national development
“The numerous current initiatives in Africa require high-level scientific technological and managerial skills. The question is where are the skills going to come from. Our answer is that from Africans in the Diaspora and the rest of the world. The training of new graduates will take at least a generation or longer but the skills are needed now if further deepening of poverty and marginlisation is to be reverse. This is the rationale for AfricaRecruit project” Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu, Chairman New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Steering Committee March 2005
Impact and way forward
CFA recommendations- providing relevant skills, funding for regional networks and the development of more appropriate curriculum
Human Capital breakdown of the 46,703 CV’s at Findajobinafrica.com
0%
5%
10%15%
20%
25%Bu
rund
i
Cam
eroo
n
Egyp
t
Mor
rocc
o
Sene
gal
Ethi
opia
Tanz
ania
Uga
nda
Egyp
t
Zam
bia
Gha
na
Zim
babw
e
Keny
a
Sout
h
Oth
er
Nig
eria
Expa
trate
s
Country /ies
The database has grown from an average of 7,000 a year in 99/00 to
10,000/yr in 03/04
AfricaRecruitBuilding
framework
Findajobinafrica facilitating access
attracting the best
Achieving the balance - turning the tide
Human Capital
Develop &
Retain
Attract & reclaim
500 Diaspora
in a year HR ro
undtables
best practic
e
implementatio
n
Recommendations
for polic
y Many Africans retained in Africamobility of skills
What is the Process...• Skills Mapping - using innovative technology
• Communication programme on/offline - seminars; road shows and outreach
• Channel and Direct - Strategic alliances with all stakeholders
• Transfer and retain within Africa
• Build on the skills in quality and quantity - Valued asset
• Foster a debate on how to contribute to a Africa -wide skills strategy
• Work on creating an enabling environment that will change attitudes and perspectives of the Diaspora to working in Africa
• Provide a framework that will attract investment and create “attractive jobs”
• Skill transfer including opportunities to self-employed African’s
• Develop and implement sound policies
• Provide incentives encourage transparency and good governance
• Adopt best practicesCFA recommendation - Africa’s health workforce should be tripled through training of an additional 1 million over a decade
Framework..
Africans in Africa- joint partnership between colleges, universities and business
Africans in the Diaspora - education and professionals build links to transfer and build
Review changes
Dissemination
Vision
AfricaRecruit
Understanding the HR
perspectives
Understand the structures and
systems
Identifying best practices
RecruitBuild skillsTransfer skills
Sabbaticals
Mentorship
Consultancy
Interims
Interns
Exchange
Voluntary
Permanent
“There is always a way….”
ADDED VALUE
Repatriate –Expatriate
Skills …. Skills
Outcomes so far
Indicators• Increasing number of Diaspora
returnees, enquiries and web stats• Increasing number of open jobs
for recruitment• Increasing number of employers
adopting strategy enabling them to target local and international candidates
• Increasing calls for recruitment fairs
• Decreasing reliance on experts• More organisations investing in
workforce• More organisations adopting best
practice
RecommendationsPolicy level• Mobility of critical skills within
Africa• Development of ToR for investors
to reflect building and transfer of skills
Partnership level for AfricaRecruit• Develop extensive skills database• Africa Virtual HR Forum• Facilitate Africa Skills
Development agency• Virtual HR-Recruitment forum • Mobilise more Diaspora using ICT
Financial Capital
The Africans in the Diaspora merit increasing attention they are a source of investment funding, expertise and a confidence building
measure of great importance
Show me the money
• Global figures over $300 billion (2003) second largest source behind FDI & a more stable than private capital and is expected to rise.
• Africa approximately 15% ( $45 billion of the total global remittance flow). 27% of the GDP for some African countries.
• On average $300 US dollars only 6% invested.
International Development select committee UK, enquiry concluded “well-managed migration is hugely important, economically and politically, because of the links it establishes between countries”. If remittances is invested well, these funds could play a major role in reducing poverty.
The development potential of remittances must be secured by encouraging remittances, reducing the costs of sending money home, and improving the investment climate for remittances in developing countries.
Financial Capital- at micro level
Average amount sent home per month US dollars
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
under 300dollars a month
300-500 600-1000 over 1000
Amount per month
Per
cent
age
brea
kdow
n
What the money used for?
Source of employment
0%10%20%30%40%
Communityor Social
CapitalMarkets
Real Estate Setting upBusiness
Others
Percentage breakdow n of completed questionnaires
Wha
t
Methods of transfer
Africans high reliance on community infrastructure-
not captured by off icial data
010203040
Cash InternationalMoneytransfer
FinancialInstitutions
Others
How
Per
cent
age
Bre
akdo
wn
Barter services and products
Obstacles preventing investmentMain Obstacles to investment
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Lack oftransparency
No suitableoptions
Personal Poor or lack ofinformation
Poor or noinfrastructure
Obstacles
Bre
akdo
wn
of R
espo
nses
Most Important
Important
Least Important
Current trendsThe African Diaspora are a brand-building opportunity, key to building and projecting a new African brand a potential massive resource of funds. In some cases Africans living abroad send more money home than earned from many of the natural resources or exports from Africa. Africa Economic Summit June 2005
Ghanaians living abroad sent back US$ 800 million to the country – more than Ghana earned from cocoa or gold. "Why is the money coming back now? Because they are beginning to believe in their country, because they are beginning to see consistency of leadership, of economic environment and of political environment."
Activities…………..
London United Kingdom 12-17th September 2005
www.africadiaspora.com
Mobilise, enhance and enable Diaspora investment in Africa
Diaspora community can benefit from the numerous investment opportunities that exist overseas in trade and investments, whilst supporting the development of Africa's economy.
Harnessing Africa……...
…by connecting the Diaspora Entrepreneur
SME’s
Job creation
Service industry
Quality of life
Trade
CooperationGlobal links
Mutual partnership
Private sectorMentorship
Best practices
Transfer
Productivity
Public sector
Infrastructure
Good governance
National development
Investment
Transfer of resources
“You will never solve the problem with the mindset that created it”
Albert Einstein
Contact Details
AfricaRecruit
18 Pall Mall
London SW1 5LU
United Kingdom
E-mail: [email protected]
or [email protected] Websites: www.africarecruit.com
www.findajobinafrica.com www.africadiaspora.com