Kisumu
25/10/07
 
AFRICAN SCHOLARS SEEK WAYS OF STOPPING BRAIN DRAIN FROM THE CONTINENT.

By Leo Odera Omolo
 
At least 300 chief executives of African Universities across the continent are currently meeting in the Libyan Capital, Tripoli to discuss the alarming increasing problem of brain drain of skilled manpower that costs Africa USD 4 billion annually.
 
According to a report emerging out of Tripoli, leading donors and multilateral agencies, including the World Bank and the African Development Bank (ADB) have challenged the academics to come up with strategies to turn the skills in the Diaspora into a ‘’brain gain’’.
 
The ADB vice President Dr Zainah E. Bakori posed a pertinent question: ‘’How do we effectively and innovatively harness and utilize the immense intellectual, technical and financial resources of the African Diaspora that remain largely untapped toward faster poverty reduction on the continent?’’
 
Dr. El Bakari is the ADB’s vice President for sector operation. He made the remarks during the opening of the conference.
 
Peter Materu of the World Bank argued ‘’global experiences suggest that though it is difficult to stop migration of skills; it is possible to strategically harness the Diaspora as a source that can complement other efforts.
 
Materu said at the tertiary skills level, Africa has the largest proportion of the tertiary level skills stock outside the continent compared to the total stock available, which is small in the first place’’
 
The Tripoli conference is being held at the Bab Al Bahr Resort on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It was organized by the Association of African Universities (AAU), the Seventh of April University - Libya in collaboration with Gadhafi Development Foundation.
 
The conference, according to a Kenyan participant is being held under the theme ‘’The African Brain Drain - Managing the drain working with the Diaspora’’. It was officially opened by the Libyan Deputy Prime Minister Prof. Abdelhafeed Zalitni and addresses by among others, the AAU President Prof Njabulo Ndebele, the secretary General Prof Akilapka Sweyer the Seventh of April University President Prof. Shaebau Taher and Nadia Zakri of the African Union Commission.
 
The conference will feature 16 papers to be presented by experts from within and outside Africa, who will be discussing the issue of ‘’brain drain’’.
 
AAU is a non-profit continental membership organization started in 1967 by 34 African Universities, but today has a membership of 206. its main objective is to promote cooperation among the member institutions in the whole of African Continent.
 
Ends.
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com