Focus on Africa: Connecting the Diaspora

Dr Banjoko AfricaRecruit Council for Education in the Commonwealth 2005 Annual Conference - Keeping the Commonwealth Connected 27th June 2005

Who we are

AfricaRecruit is a programme of AU/NEPAD,Commonwealth &CBC connecting the Diaspora to Africa Facilitate & enable capacity building using the Diaspora as one of the main drivers.

Diaspora are a very valuable resource and powerful force or tool for rebuilding their country

Other parts of Europe, North America, Asia and within Africa

Channel resources (skills or investment) through secondary or tertiary avenues, while they remain in the Diaspora

Commission for Africa (CFA) 3 recommendations on investing in capacity building e.g. skilled professionals

African Diaspora

The 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

Departures…

Intellectual flight-The

United Nations calls brain drain one of the greatest threats to economic development in sub Saharan Africa.

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

In many ways, the loss of skills could be counted as Africa’s foreign assistance to the developed world!

One of Africa’s greatest offshore asset

Approximately 40% of all African professionals have left the continent's shores over 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 1 st respondents were educated generation Diaspora in 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

Impact and way forward

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

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

25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

The database has grown from an average of 7,000 a year in 99/00 to 10,000/yr in 03/04

Country/ies

Achieving the balance -

tide turning the

Human Capital

AfricaRecruit Building framework Many Africans retained in Africa mobility of skills

Develop & Retain 500 Diaspora in a year

Findajobinafrica facilitating access

attracting the best Attract & reclaim

• •

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 practices

CFA recommendation Africa’s health workforce should be tripled through training of an additional 1 million over a decade

Framework..

AfricaRecruit Understanding the HR perspectives Understand the structures and systems Vision Identifying best practices Recruit Build skills Transfer skills changes Dissemination Review Africans in Africa- joint partnership between colleges, universities and business Africans in the Diaspora - education and professionals build links to transfer and build

“There is always a way….”

Consultancy Mentorship Sabbaticals Interims ADDED VALUE

Skills …. Skills

Repatriate – Expatriate Permanent Voluntary Exchange Interns

Outcomes so far Indicators Recommendations

• 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

Policy 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 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 under 300 dollars a month 300-500 600-1000 Amount per month over 1000

What the money used for?

Source of employment 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Community or Social Capital Markets Real Estate Setting up Business Others Percentage breakdow n of completed questionnaires

Methods of transfer

40 30 20 10 0 Africans high reliance on community infrastructure- not captured by official data Cash

Barter services and products

International Money transfer How Financial Institutions Others

Obstacles preventing investment

Main Obstacles to investment 30 20 10 0 60 50 40 Lack of transparency No suitable options Personal Obstacles Poor or lack of information Poor or no infrastructure Most Important Important Least Important

Current trends

The 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……...

National development Service industry Quality of life Infrastructure Job creation Investment SME’s Trade Public sector Good Entrepreneur

…by connecting the Diaspora

governance Cooperation Global links Private sector Mentorship Mutual partnership Best practices Productivity Transfer Transfer of resources

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