TAPPING THE ‘BRAIN GAIN’
17/10/2013 01:38:00 The Editor
Two young innovators in high school, Timothy McDermott (a Swazi) and Harvey Kadyanji (a Tanzanian), have distinguished themselves by inventing a siSwati application (an ‘app’) for translating siSwati to English and vice Versa on Smart Phones.
The app even gives lessons on Swazi culture, provides tourist information and offers advertising space. They are to be congratulated for doing something that has long been needed, but ignored, by the communications companies capable of doing so themselves. This is not just another example of how young, well educated, people can drive technology and the economy while established businesses labour in complacency; their significance is more than being a couple of smart young men who invented something that there is an obvious demand for and which will do wonders for our tourism industry.
More than that, they represent the new wave of Africa’s future: the reversal of the ‘brain drain’ which has seen qualified African professionals flock to developed countries where their talents would be recognised and rewarded. The phenomenon of ‘reverse migration’, in which talented, qualified, Africans are coming back home to establish their own businesses is rapidly heating up. A study of East African students in the United Kingdom discovered that 70 per cent of them were willing to return home upon graduation. They saw their countries as emerging markets where they could prosper far more than in static European economies and where they would be providing much-needed services at the same time.
This is a phenomenon that is vital for Swaziland to tap into. We desperately need Swazis educated in the harsher and more rigorous environment of foreign economies, Swazis who have benefited from the hundreds of years of experience that other countries have in educating top professionals. Since our economy is effectively dominated and controlled by government enterprises, it is imperative that government institute a sustained programme that not only facilitates and rewards returning Swazis with responsible jobs and decision-making positions but also encourages an economic environment that they will recognise as offering opportunities for them to thrive in as entrepreneurs.
Little effort has already been made along these lines, with the Ministry of Health facilitating the return of at least 17 foreign-trained doctors and medical professionals from overseas. But small, scattered, approaches will not achieve what is required. We need to convince Swazis who are succeeding in much more rewarding environments that their contributions will be even more valued and rewarded here at home.
This requires putting aside personal jealousies, family ties, sensitive egos and greed. It requires putting the needs of the nation first and truly selecting people on merit. As the rest of Africa prospers due to returning skilled workers, this will become one of the challenging bench-marks by which our dedication to national wellbeing and development are measured by.
Destroying souls
Judge Ester Ota, who has served on post-conflict tribunals in West Africa, has lamented the amount of sexual violence done to children in this country. While sentencing a child rapist to 20 years, she noted that “The activity of paedophiles...in this country has reached such a dimension which, if not curbed, has the potential of unleashing anarchy...”
This is because sexual exploitation and rape (especially of children) can destroy souls – in fact, it is used as a weapon of war and considered a crime against all humanity by international protocols. And we allow people to do it to our children. There must be no more forgiveness for child rapists.
