We lose a lot of competent professionals yearly to rich nations overseas where they go to seek better opportunies for work. This so-called ‘brain drain’ raises a fear that these rich countries will lure all of the educated human capital away from their home countries.
There is an interesting point of view advocated by Professors William Easterly and Yaw Nyarko that this phenomenon is actually good for Africa; they posit that this matter should be dubbed ‘brain circulation’, rather than brain drain. Listen below to an interview that Prof. Nyarko had recently with the World Vision Report on this matter.
Read their article here: Is the brain drain good for Africa?
The brain drain is old news. In fact, I don’t think it was ever really news to begin with.
How could people have said “[insert African country name here] is losing its youth to other countries’ education” when education itself is a global phenomenon? That is, why did we ever think that the substance taught in Africa is different elsewhere?
The quality and motivation behind students leaving their homecountries may vary, but at the end of the day it seems likely that people pursue education with a cause. If their cause is to go back to their homecountries and do things, so be it. But if their cause is to bounce on their homecountries, well so be that. What we are seeing with the Easterly and Nyarko study is a change in the motivation and belief people have in their homecountries. Whereas previously people bounced in search of something better (whatever better means), today people see potential at home and if they aren’t coming back directly, they are coming back indirectly. If that makes sense.
Shukrani. Nazipenda sana posts kama hii.
Jack D…
Is brain drain real? I tend to believe that it’s used by those leaders who have not managed to create opportunities for their skilled people…
bihemo, i think brain drain is a fallacy created by people who are panicking about the apperant meritocracy around them.
Jack D
It didn’t make sense… 🙂
How many Tanzanians abroad are investing at home? [What] most people do is to invest in real estate and by sending money remittances, which I think don’t account for much.
It might be brain circulation in Ghana but I don’t see it happening in Tanzania, at least not yet. Tanzanians, especially who have good positions abroad, do not go back and invest; even the contribution in the form of ideas is scarce.
While in reality, with the communications technology available today, you can chair an NGO in Tanzania in your posh apartment in Silicon Valley without causing even a tiny hiccup in your daily schedule.
Jack
This is absolutely interesting post
Mimi nimeipenda sana, salamu kutoka UK
I think we should not underestimate the contribution of the remittance funds being sent to Tanzania everyday. What are the numbers, anyways? Any one knows? I know of a number of my friends whose families back home are better off because of the money they send. Their brothers, sisters, cousins are able to go to school. I send a few dollars to my parents every month. Without that their lives would be very difficult, because their pension funds are very low.
One example of “BRAIN CIRCULATION” should be Reginald Mengi; I believe he had received some influences from England (not sure if he was educated there), but his company’s economic impact in the country is unquestionable. If he didn’t go to England, he would probably not been able to sharpen his entrepreneurial and business skills.
I have to admit however, that we Tanzanians are not as eager as the West Africans (esp. Nigerians and Ghana) in giving back to our communities in general — in terms of investments or building schools, universities, or even giving ideas, etc.
@ hyperkei: The study this post outlines is about indirect benefits that those abroad are providing for Tanzanians locally. This does not mean those abroad are not helping or providing benefits at all. Indirect is just as good as direct benefits; in fact, those abroad are channeling resources where they are most available.
Let’s consider the job of an IT technician for example. In TZ, this might pay between 12 – 15 million Tshs annually. In the Western World on the other hand, the same job might pay 20,000 – 40,000 USD (about 30-60 million Tshs). Agreed, the cost of living in the West might be much higher than that in TZ, but still, salaries are higher because qualification is valued more outside.
Until we can change the perception of meritocracy — that is, competitiveness and quality professionalism — in TZ, then I believe we can start to see more youth staying back to be qualified in their respective fields.
Until that happens, I believe that the youth will always seek to contribute to TZ in some way or the other. And for those that don’t, it is probably best that they don’t, because to have people giving altruistically asks for trouble (see Dambisa Moyo on Roreign Aid, and William Easterly on the white man’s burden).
This is a personal battle I fight every day, so i apologize if my words come out sprawled and seemingly confusing. My point simply is this: there ARE youth who give back to their country, and this concept of brain drain is a popular term referring to the fear local Tanzanians and other Africans feel in the apparent “loss” of talent.
And about all this chatter about West Africans moving ahead of East Africans… People, why are we being blind? Those guys in West Africa are only one thing: hustlers. They know what they want, and they work hard to get it. This is true in various industries, such as mobile technology, internet usage and proliferation, access to fuels, and providing rural areas with access to markets.
From the four examples listed above, Tanzania can do all four, and has ample cash and human resources to do it. Including fuels — we most recently were able to find uranium deposits in our country and the government has said it will soon be looking into producing nuclear energy.
So why do we seem to be “behind” (and i hate this term “behind”) our neighbors? There are two possible answers:
1. We are not seeing incentives to push our boundaries to one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, alongside Mauritius, South Africa, and Ghana.
2. We are seeing the incentives, but we are lazy.
This is a very interesting article! I so agree with Dr. Nyarko. ‘Brain Drain’ is just a scapegoat for people who experience all the woes countries such as ours face. But what is it in reality? When someone goes abroad, they are immediately faced with a culture shock of a lifetime; whatever their reason for going abroad. For those that go to study, they will learn what their teachers/lecturers teach them, they will also learn what their new-found friends teach them. On top of this, they will study the environment and start making many comparisons (with home); essentially, they build a database in their minds of the many possible combinations of things learned that can have applicability in their homelands.
The most important lesson they will learn, is that their “roads paved with gold’ mentality will diminish and eventually die. They will then spread this communication to their family and friends, having seen ‘in the flesh’ the experience, leading to even those at home not wanting to leave so much ‘unless to further develop themselves’.
It is also true that eventually, either individuals will return home or create a link that requires someone be there on either side (win-win situation).
Brain drain is just a scapegoat. … coz at the end of the day. . . there’s no place like home.
I guess the discussion is heading towards (i.e. focusing on) the professions or fields that one can just sit behind the desk and laptop, and actually manage to do something constructive for his/her native/home country. For instance, computer scientists, economists, accountants… the list — I would like to believe — is long enough.
But I have a slightly different view; let’s take a minute and really ask ourselves: Aren’t there those kinds of jobs which need us to get our hands “dirty”? Maybe brain drain is a fallacy, but I would think otherwise when somebody says ‘there are more Ethiopian doctors working in New York than those found in Ethiopia.’
Maybe our governments do not appreciate our skills that much (or we expect too much from our countries; whichever way you see it), but are we doing enough? Or most of us are just lazy and afraid to take risks? Aren’t we supposed to be able to create opportunities ourselves?*
Check out this documentary when you have time: Floating Clinic.
*I am asking Tanzanians.
ooh.its real that we youths sometimes think….why were we born in our homecountries…africa has 100% brain drain…nimeipenda hiyo bora tukazikwe overseas.
As I have said in the previous post, the ‘brains’ abroad are in a position to do more for their country than just sending money remittances. They have the brains, the skills and the exposure, but why are we happy that their contribution is limited to just remittance?
We have seen many who are willing to invest and start up their own businesses abroad. The money circulation, tax, people employed and other benefits derived from these businesses is huge.
they don’t want to invest in Tanzania because they are unsure. And we can not blame them. The environment for investment is not that good. But shouldn’t we be prepared to take some risks as the West Africans are?
And talking about sending ‘ideas’ back home, is it really happening?
Hyperkei, got your previous argument, nilikuwa naweka msisitizo tu!
Nilikuwa naongea na rafiki yangu jana kuhusu hili suala na nilitegemea atakuja kuacha maoni yake hapa… Yeye alikuwa anataka kutukumbusha kwamba Ghana na nchi nyingi za Afrika Magharibi zina vizazi kadhaa kwenye nchi za Magharibi au zilizoendelea. Na ukimsikiliza Nyarko, yeye anaongelea watu wa Ghana. Kwahiyo, je, ile ‘model’ au ‘argument’ yake inafaa kwa Watanzania au Wazambia (hawa madaktari wao wamekimbilia UK)?
Pia, ningependa kumuunga mkono Hyperkei; tusiridhike na kutuma hela nyumbani tu. Watu kutoka nje wanaweza kuleta ujuzi, kuhamasisha wengine, kuanzisha makampuni n.k.
Sisemi kwamba wanaosoma au kufanya kazi nyumbani hawawezi kufanya haya yote. La hasha! Ninachosema ni kwamba watu walioko nje wana kale ka-advantage ka kuwa na networks ughaibuni, ambazo zinaweza kusaidia kuleta vitu vya maana sana nyumbani.
Kwa mfano, nawauliza wanasayansi: Kwanini mnashindwa kuanzisha taasisi za utafiti ambazo zitakuwa zinashirikiana na za nje ya nchi? Hivi, bado wale vyura wa Mbeya wanatumwa Marekani? Kila mwezi nasikia species wapya wanagunduliwa kule Usambara… Hivi tunashindwa kukamata panya-buku na viumbe wengine wenyewe? Tunasubiri wa Ulaya waje? Wakati tuna Watanzania kibao tu kila kona?
Hivi ndivyo nilivyokuwa namaanisha niliposema labda sisi ni wavivu, we’re afraid of taking risks (kuacha comfort zones Ulaya na Marekani au kuanza “upya” nyumbani) and don’t want to get our hands “dirty.”
Kwa kumalizia tu nitasema, najua wengine mna kazi au taaluma ambazo haziwalazimu kurudi nyumbani. Lakini kuna zile ambazo ni muhimu na inakubidi kuwa Tanzania kwa kipindi kirefu. Hizi ndizo nataka watu wazifikirie. Nimeshawasikia waandishi, wachumi, wanamuziki, wahasibu, warembo, wanasayansi lukuki… Lakini, kama mtu unaweza kuleta mchango mkubwa ZAIDI ukiwa Tanzania, halafu ukaamua kutofanya chochote kile — hata kujaribu tu — nadhani utakuwa unadanganya umma kwa kuungana na Nyarko na kuweka mambo yote (nchi, taaluma, ujuzi, n.k.) kwenye fungu moja.
jamani jamani, huyu bwana ana akili sana!
I just signed up to your blogs rss feed. Will you post more on this subject?
@badmash: thanks for stopping by, and we’ll do our best to continue stimulating discussion around this subject. check back for follow up articles!
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