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Momodou
Denmark
11769 Posts |
 Posted - 19 Oct 2009 : 17:27:58
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Alarm Over Gambia's Brain Drain
By Saikou Jammeh
Professors, Muhammed M O Kah and Jainaba M L Kah, the Vice Chancellor at the University of The Gambia and Director General at Management Development Institute respectively have said that Gambian scientists have been migrating out of the country at an alarming rate.
Making their presentations on Wednesday during UNDP Development Forum held at Kairaba Beach Hotel on the theme: Capacity Building: Cornerstone to Development, the couple, occupying highest positions in two of The Gambia’s highest learning institutions have called on the government of The Gambia to partner with development and donor agencies to arrest the trend of skilled Gambians migrating abroad for better pay.
The alarming drift of Gambian experts, the Kahs believe is due to unconducive economic conditions, while blaming the policy makers for not really putting serious strategies to remedy the challenging issue. “The brain drain is a reality,” the duo stated in a joint statement, “and its cost to the Gambia is huge despite the millions of dollars of remittances back to family members and sporadic investments by those living in the Diaspora".
They urged the authorities to develop and deploy a brain circulation strategy for technical expertise and to upgrade human capacity for the University of The Gambia. In this regard, the Kahs implored the government of the Gambia,through donor support to increase funding for basic sciences, especially in mathematics, engineering and the physical sciences, computing and ICT. “This will help to enhance the intellectual capital that can lay the foundation for much needed entrepreneurship for future business formation and economic growth”, they argued.
“Capacity building should be seen as a core objective and ensuring that capacity building support is country-owned, results-oriented and evidence-based”, they posited, quoting the World Bank 2005 report. They said the challenges to improving the public sector performance in Africa is posed by political and institutional characteristics, weak incentives and working conditions.
Thus they see the migration of highly skilled professionals as a priority focus and processes that encourage what they believed to be long-term systemic efforts.
Accordingly, the role of the donors at the operational framework should at the corporate level strengthen their knowledge base and amplify their frameworks for public sector capacity building to better help The Gambia.
This will include prioritising capacity building activities and to transform capacity building tools to improve results and donors should ensure that guidelines and proves are in place for self and independent evaluation of their interventions.
“Donor should assess what role training should play in its capacity building support, how training should be provided and what should be the respective programs in any future support in this area”, they said.
“For the Gambia’s country programme, regional senior management should ensure that country assistance strategies are used effectively to help countries identify and strengthen the capacities they need to plan, implement and measure the results of their poverty reduction strategies and coordinate donor support.
“Donors should also ensure that all operations that aim to build public sector capacity are based on adequate assessments of capacity needs and have ways to monitor and evaluate capacity building processes” they said.
Source: The Daily News
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Prince
507 Posts |
Posted - 20 Oct 2009 : 04:19:54
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Given the current situation within the Gambia, brain drain is inevitable and irreversible.
It is rude of them to down play the importance of "sporadic investments by those living in the Diaspora." The so-called sporadic investments helps the average Gambian more than their consistent chopshops.
Let the politicians stay and develop the country... after all, they always claim to be "patriotic." |
"When injustice becomes law, rebellion becomes duty." |
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maple
United Kingdom
43 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2010 : 16:26:12
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| Brain Drain have and continue to be an important discussion for developing countries. BD tend to be coloured as the reason why poor economies not converging with advanced and developed economies but the difference of growth diverging at an alarming rate. But its is important to note that BD can positively economic growth of developing nations as in the case of Taiwan where reverse brain drain and now brain circulation with techniology leaders of the globe enable a country with GDP below that of Congo in the 60s to one that can be model as an economic miracle. The Kahs are right with the political and economic institution back home, Gambia can also benefit from reverse BD but alas the gobvernment view us all as "unpatriotic" hence not ready to accommodate alternating development views. |
"Don't waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear" Paulo Coelho. |
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