70,000 Scholars Leave Africa Yearly - Don

The Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Edward Ofori-Sarpong, has said that 70,000 highly qualified Africans leave their home countries annually.

He said consequently, Africa spends an estimated US$4 billion annually to recruit about 100,000 skilled expatriates. The exodus does not include students who leave to study abroad.

Prof. Ofori-Sarpong, who revealed this at a lecture titled, "Effects of Brain Drain in National Development" to mark the golden jubilee celebrations of Konongo-Odumasi Secondary School (Great KOSS), at Konongo-Odumasi on Saturday, said Africa's ongoing development will continue to be undermined if the current phenomenon continues.

Defining the brain drain as human capital flight, he pointed out that with a fast ageing population, Western countries have become increasingly dependent on migrant workers to fill the void.

He lamented that thousands of Africans with PhDs, Master's degrees, diplomas and certificates in developed countries are deprived from performing the jobs in lowly-paid jobs due to red tape and immigration laws of the host country.

Quoting from experts of the UN's Economic Commission for Africa and International Organisation for Migration (IOM), he said there are 30,000 Africans with PhDs living outside the continent.

He said 60,000 professionals made up of doctors, university lecturers, engineers, etc. left between 1985 and 1990 with an average figure of 20,000 annually. He said approximately six per cent of Ghanaian-trained doctors left the country in the 1980s.

Prof. Ofori-Sarpong, who also is an old boy (Anuanom) of Great KOSS, disclosed that well-trained Ghanaian academics like lawyers and PhD holders are doing menial jobs like washing plates in hotels and carrying baggage for travellers.

According to him, there are currently 20,000 scientists and engineers, just about 3.6% of the world's scientific population, servicing Africa's estimated 600 million people, adding that "Africa would need at least one million scientists and engineers to sustain its development prospects."

Explaining further, he said official statistics indicate that skilled workers from South Africa who migrated to other countries have cost that country an estimated US$7.8 billion in lost human capital.

The Professor warned that, "Unless steps are taken to develop critical institutions and human capacities, the recent positive developments in the economy will not be sustainable," adding that, the main resources to move Africa ahead is the creativity of its human resources."

The Pro-VC took a swipe at African governments who "enslave men of ideas" and wondered "how a system that holds poverty as a virtue, can struggle for prosperity."

He reasoned that why Western countries are absorbing Africa's "thinkers" is their recognition of "their power of the mind." He cautioned that by failing to offer greener pastures for its own intelligentsia, the continent is committing suicide.

He was at a loss as to why African governments who claimed to be poor, find it logical to pay expatriates hundreds of times more than the local experts.

So powerful and inspiring was the lecture that he was given a standing ovation from the dignitaries who included Mr. Solomon K. Obeng director-general, Ghana Education Service, the board chairman of Great KOSS, Mr. Peter Owusu Donkor, old products and students of the school.

The headmaster of Great KOSS, Mr. Kwame Ameyaw Yamoah, told Chronicle in an interview that the school had grown from a humble beginning of 20 students to its present number of 1,630 students after fifty years of its existence.

He said products of the school are every aspect of human life as doctors, professors, journalists, engineers, businessmen and women, etc. He cited lack of infrastructure as a hindrance to its objective of reaching the higher heights and appealed for assistance from all stakeholders.

Yamoah disclosed that their rooms are supposed to accommodate 650 students as against the 1,330 currently being housed.