"When AfricaRecruit was launched in 2002, I provided an endorsement in the
firm belief that its objectives were not only noble but also realizable.
Since then, the initiative has performed creditably and become a key part
of the NEPAD programme to mobilize quality skills for Africa.
"H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria &
Current Chairperson of the African Union September 04"

                SEMINAR OFFERS REMEDIES FOR AFRICA’S ‘BRAIN DRAIN’

There is no quick remedy for the loss of key workers through emigration.
Only a long-term effort to improve society, develop democracy and freedom,
and upgrade schools and hospitals can create sustainable economies, says
Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Winston Cox.

Speaking at the start of a seminar in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 7
September 2004, Mr Cox noted that ‘brain drain’ has affected Africa for the
past four decades. “The critical factor is the ability of a country to
attract or retain the skills needed to run its public services, agriculture
and industry, banks and universities.”

The seminar on ‘Strategic Skills for Africa 2004: Trans-national Expansion
within Africa’ was held from 7 to 8 September 2004 by AfricaRecruit, an
initiative of the Commonwealth Business Council that aspires to promote
sustainable development in Africa through the use of human resources.
Participants included human resource managers in African and multinational
corporations, as well as public sector officials from The Gambia, Kenya,
Malawi, Nigeria and South Africa. Ethiopia was also represented.

Mr Cox said: “I do not believe that the problem can be addressed by a quick
fix; by offering a king’s ransom to hire in key workers, or by continued
massive flows of technical assistance from donors.

“The challenge for all governments is to balance the factors which make the
retention and flow of skills into the economy dynamic, and be able to cope
with the natural movement of skills away which is inevitable in a
globalised world.”

The Deputy Secretary-General cited two examples of how Commonwealth member
countries have addressed the loss of scarce professionals to targeted
recruitment programmes -- the Commonwealth Code of Practice for the
International Recruitment of Health Workers, endorsed in May 2003; and the
Protocol on Teacher Recruitment adopted in September 2004.

Participants drafted several recommendations. Among them was a proposal by
Mr Cox that there be less restriction on people movement within the
continent. It was suggested that regional organisations -- like the
Southern African Development Community, the Economic Community of West
African States and the African Union -- ease visa restrictions and adopt
the European Union model of migration for skilled personnel. This would
make it easier for African professionals to work in the continent, and for
companies to develop pan-African management training schemes.

“A call was made to focus on and develop each African country’s core
competencies as well as develop the infrastructure to support numerous
small and medium size enterprises as a measure of economic growth and
development of Africa,” said Dr Lola Banjoko, Director of AfricaRecruit.

Other recommendations from the seminar included:

Linking HR strategy with trade development and the impact of HIV/AIDS
The development of a national legal framework to protect workers
Skills deficiency to be linked to remittances flow and important for
countries
Policies to address youth unemployment and the working poor
Clear database on key performance indicators on Africa labour market to
inform policy formation
Emphasis on how develop the benefits of African nationals in the Diaspora
skills not remittances should be seen as second best option
The need to ensure that foreign direct investors investment agreements
reflects succession plan for skilled and trained nationals to assume the
expatriates positions such as shadow postings, upgrading and transferring
of skills
The investment capacity of Africans in the Diaspora must not be
underestimated
The need to adopt various learning styles such as E-learning a methodology
that takes learning to the people on the ground
An inventory of Africans in The Diaspora where are they, what skills do
they have and how can they help and how to tap into their global experience
For details on the event such as the seminar programme and presentations
kindly visit www.africarecruit.com  "Recent Event Strategic Skills Seminar
for Africa  7-8 Sep 2004 South Africa"

Oracle Africa; Pearson; Electronic National Training Director; Sandton
Business School; Blue Print; Business Day; SABC Africa and South African
Airways sponsored the event.

Editors note
AfricaRecruit is an initiative, which was started in 1999 as a pilot
project to see if there was interest by Africans in the Diaspora or within
Africa in seeking career opportunities in Africa as opposed to leaving the
continent. The outcome of this was the development of
www.findajobinafrica.com a one-stop search engine for employment
opportunities in Africa. The other product was www.africarecruit.com, which
acts as a platform to address issues, challenges, and relating to skills
shortages in Africa. AfricaRecruit is also engaged in mobilizing the
African Diaspora on various projects geared towards the development of
Africa.

Forthcoming events:

The 1st ever Africa Diaspora Investment in London United Kingdom 19/20th
November 2004 under the auspice of The African Business Roundtable and
NEPAD Business group in partnership with Africa Stock Exchange seeks to
address the gap between current realities and the real investment potential
of the African Diaspora, visit www.africadiaspora.com

NigeriaRecruit2004 16/17th December 2004 Lagos Nigeria a unique opportunity
for organisations to showcase their organisations and career opportunities
to 1000 pre-selected international and local candidates, for details visit
www.nigeriarecruit2004.com

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