REGIONAL CONFERENCE TO ASSESS IMPACT OF "BRAIN DRAIN" ON AFRICA"S DEVELOPMENT TO BE HELD FROM 22 TO 24 FEBRUARY IN ADDIS ABABA

Press Release
AFR/210
REC/84

REGIONAL CONFERENCE TO ASSESS IMPACT OF ‘BRAIN DRAIN’ ON AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT TO BE HELD FROM 22 TO 24 FEBRUARY IN ADDIS ABABA

Addis Ababa, 17 February (ECA) -- Leading development and capacity- building experts from Africa and beyond will attend a major regional conference in Addis Ababa next week, to assess the impact of the brain drain on Africa's development, and to consider how the net loss of intellectual capacity can be stemmed and harnessed.

The Regional Conference on Brain Drain and Capacity-Building in Africa, to take place from 22 to 24 February at the United Nations Conference Centre, is a joint initiative of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in cooperation with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and a number of other development partners. The main objective of the meeting is to situate the issues pertaining to the causes, magnitude and implications of brain drain in the African region in the context of the current debate about capacity-building in the continent.

The specific objectives of the Conference are to:

-- Review various approaches (and experiences) in capacity-building and the extent to which they take into account the flight of human capital and its impact on existing or future capacity;

-- Develop a comprehensive and integrated approach for effectively utilizing human resources in Africa;

-- Recommend and disseminate to African policy makers practical implementation modalities to stem or reverse brain drain and build capacity at national and regional levels;

-- Follow up and develop project activities geared to strengthening human resource capacity-building and the return of qualified African to member States.

Among other aspects, the Conference will explore the impact of the brain drain on different levels and sectors, as well as examine government-education- industry relationships in building capacity. Participants will be drawn from the public sector, the private sector, non-governmental organizations,

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intergovernmental and regional organizations -- including the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the African Development Bank (ADB), the Association of African Universities, the African Capacity-Building Foundation. Other organizations to be represented include the Commonwealth Secretariat and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

According to an aide-mémoire on the Conference, the context of the meeting is that, in a globalized world, with an increasing premium on scientific and technological innovation, competition, knowledge and expertise, the overarching question is whether Africa can achieve its paramount objective of "poverty reduction through accelerated economic growth, sustainable development and effective integration of African economies into the global economy".

Human capital flight, or brain drain, as it is commonly known, refers to the departure for other countries of university-trained persons and others who have received specialized training, often at high cost to their country of origin. This is certainly not a new phenomenon, but has risen sharply in recent years. The reasons for these concerns are quite obvious, as not only do the public and private sectors continue to face serious capacity constraints, the loss of trained people through migration and exodus reduces the availability of skilled human resources that African countries need so badly for self-reliant and sustainable development.

The ECA and IOM estimate that, between 1960 and 1975, some "27,000 high-level Africans left the continent for the West. Between 1975 and 1984, this number increased to about 40,000 and then almost doubled by 1987, representing 30 per cent of the highly skilled manpower stock. Africa lost 60,000 professionals (doctors, university lecturers, engineers, etc.) between 1985 and 1990 and has been losing an average of 20,000 annually ever since.

Addressing a conference on Development of Science and Technology in Paris, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan declared that "scientific innovation is the driving force of growth and development". He added that if Africa is to take part in this progress, nothing less than a transformation in priorities and policies is needed to develop Africa’s scientific knowledge and expertise. Currently, Africa’s share in world scientific output has fallen from 0.5 per cent to 0.3 per cent, with the continent experiencing a continuing brain drain of scientists, engineers and technologists. Only 20,000 scientists (or 3.6 per cent of the world's scientific population) are African. What is more, 80 per cent of scientific research is concentrated in a handful of industrialized countries.

It is against this backdrop of a large amount of investments being lost each year to other countries and the substantial reservoir of capacity endowments in the continent and abroad, and the inability of technical

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assistance to transfer knowledge and expertise, that the issue of brain drain and capacity-building needs to be discussed and appropriate and concrete intervention strategies designed.

The aide-mémoire argues that unless serious steps are taken to develop critical institutional and human capacities, the recent positive developments in the economy will not be sustainable and will not make a significant dent on poverty. Africa’s main resource to carry it through the next millennium will be the creativity of its people -- its human resources.

According to the organizers, this regional conference will provide an opportunity for policy and decision makers, as well as academics and professionals in both the public and private sectors, to rethink the role of government in making national education systems more relevant, efficient and effective. The Conference will also address strategies to create and sustain the requisite political and economic environment needed to strengthen Africa's base of critical capacities, effectively utilize its human resources and strengthen the region’s competitiveness within the global economy.

For more information, please contact: Sophia Denekew, Communication Team, Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Tel: +251-1-44 50 98 (direct); or +251-1-51 72 00 Ext. 35098 Fax: +251-1-51 03 65, e-mail: Web site: http://www.un.org/depts/eca

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