The ‘brain drain’ – and strategies to curb the migration of highly skilled
Gambians – has baffled our government, academics and policy-makers for more
than two decades. The issue has become especially critical for Gambia and
other developing countries that are struggling to carve a niche for them in
today’s international knowledge-based economy.

The motivation of Gambian scholars to immigrate or their decisions to stay
abroad is a product of a complex blend of economic, political, social,
cultural, and personal matters. The impact and chemistry of each factor
varies from individual to individual, and fluctuates from time to time.
Despite some economic and social success stories, Gambia like many African
countries constantly face economic hardships making it difficult for
scholars to return home–while at the same time prodding those at home to
migrate. Sometimes social and economic news from home discourages potential
returnees, consequently frustrating the various efforts to contain the
overflow of skilled personnel out of Gambia. It is an important issue that
ought to be addressed carefully.

If the main purpose and objective of reversing brain flow is to build
capacity for the Gambia as we export and continue to export our
experts–unwillingly or otherwise–the approach to moderate the flow should
not therefore adopt one single strategy that predominantly leans toward
repatriation. It is important to realize that skilled labor has
propensities to mobility and appears futile to attempt to control it. Human
beings will always crave for greener pastures elsewhere.
Because the mobility of skilled labor is a complex process, it is
imperative to adopt various strategies and approaches to address it. Even
the variety of strategies and approaches that are often adopted have to be
reexamined in the face of changing social, economic, political,
demographic, and technological paradigms. The economic paradigm of the
twentieth century that was largely dependent on natural resources has now
shifted to an information-dominated one driven by knowledge creation and
dissemination.

Human capital is the most important form of wealth for a modern nation.
Countries with the most intellectual resources achieve the highest rates of
economic growth and the fastest development in science and technology.
Knowledge produces more than economic riches: it is also a vital ingredient
for dealing with many of the social and environmental aspects of life
today. Gambia is negatively affected by skilled emigration, experiencing
low productivity and morale, and declining health and education services.

National policies are clearly essential to addressing this issue. But there
is also room for a more overarching role. To achieve this an international
organization must step forward and take the lead in a difficult task,
namely to encourage receiving countries to stop tapping the skills of
poorer regions – and to consider compensating them for loss of skilled
personnel. I believe one way to do that would be the establishment of a
body to manage Intellectual Resources to address two issues in developing
countries: losses from brain drain, and improving the standards of science
and technology professionals. Monies collected from receiving countries
that benefit from skilled immigration could be used towards additional
training, exchanges and collaboration, and better working conditions in the
developing world.

The fundamental obstacle to initiating any strategy or approach to curb the
increasing number of Gambians migrating to the West is a lack of political
will – at national level. But without action, the highly skilled Gambians
in science and technology will continue to move on to richer economies. The
remainder will be relegated to the margins, and their basic infrastructure
and social services – in particular health and education – will deteriorate
even further.

One option to remedy the current trend is to encourage highly skilled
Gambians to contribute their experience to the development of their
country, without necessarily returning home. The main feature of the
Diaspora option is that it seeks to establish links with – and between –
highly skilled Gambians. This allows for the exchange of information and
knowledge between such Gambians, as well as between them and the Gambia
government. In turn, the Gambia government will have access to the
knowledge systems that Gambian expatriates belong to in their host
countries. Achieving this requires an effective network to facilitate the
transfer and exchange of information.

Realizing that Gambia has a vast pool of highly qualified, highly skilled
expatriates living abroad. Encouraging them to contribute their skills and
expertise to the country’s development would, as felt, be immensely
beneficial. The need to create an intellectual/scientific Diaspora network
for Gambia is way over due. With this in mind, highly skilled Gambian
expatriates all over the world could be contacted by a volunteer team, who
will ask if they would be prepared to make their skills available to their
country?

The Gambian Diaspora communities should take it upon ourselves to
contribute in the development of the Gambia, among others, by establishing
knowledge networks that span across the world.  We could, for example,
established several virtual communities that would discuss various social,
political, ideological, economic, developmental, scientific, and
technological issues.

Finally, my view on migration is not, however, about the past. It is about
the future. It is not about mistakes; it is about corrections. It is not
about who is wrong and who is right. It is about lessons learned. It is not
about failed duties, it is about paying back our country. It is not about
brain drain; it is about reversing it. The long-term objective of all
Gambians should be to coordinate and channel the resources, expertise and
creativity of Gambians in the Diaspora toward development efforts in our
motherland. This means developing and operating a program that will
facilitate the identification, selection and assignment of Gambian
professionals to various voluntary activities in Gambia. It also means
coordinating the Gambian community to establish a foundation. On their
part, it is time for the developed world to consider reducing the
developing world's debt as repayment for its very considerable contribution
to its health services. Otherwise we are just witnessing another form of
colonialism: the developing world produces the resource; the developed
world takes it

Bulli Mustapha Dibba

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