Ade Adutola, MD of Wazobiajobs.com

Attracting professionals working in the diaspora is one way foreign companies can mitigate the risk of inadequate managerial capacity in Africa. These highly educated and experienced professionals offer international best practices. TradeInvestAfrica interviewed Ade Adutola, managing director of Wazobiajobs.com , a recruitment firm working to bring west African professionals back home.

TradeInvestAfrica: What effect has the global financial crisis had on west African professionals working abroad?

Ade Adutola: The global financial crisis has not spared anyone and many African professionals like other workers have lost their jobs. There is a pervading sense of insecurity created by looming lay offs, forcing a large number to enroll for courses to improve their curriculum vitae, as well as search for opportunities in Africa. WazobiaJobs clients cut across different sectors and industries in West and Central Africa, and whilst some clients may have scaled down their growth plans, some are still forging ahead despite the financial crisis. One area in which we have not seen any significant change in recruitment are the multilaterals and regulatory bodies. 

Are more professionals looking for employment opportunities back at home? 

When the crisis was primarily in the Western countries and it appeared as if African countries would not be affected, several professionals moved back home to look for jobs – the problem now is that the crisis is also affecting many countries in Africa, albeit unevenly.  Consequently many companies have scaled back recruitment plans; some have an embargo on recruitment in place. The good news is that the opportunities are still there, though it requires much more effort to find them these days. Some professionals are going the entrepreneurial route, thereby creating opportunities for others.  The fastest growing Quick Service Restaurant in Nigeria today is owned by a “returnee”. 

Foreign investors say inadequate managerial staff is a risk they have to mitigate while doing business in Africa.

The cost of doing business in any country is undeniably cheaper if there is a vast pool of qualified and experienced workforce available locally. Multinational companies operating in West Africa need a qualified and experienced local workforce to sustain their growth as they expand across the region. The large exodus of experienced African professionals over the last 20 years has been a huge burden on economies.  An estimated 400 000 African professionals currently work outside Africa and cost the continent over $4 billion annually in the employment of 150 000 expatriate professionals (Source: United Nations Development Programme).  Having said that, what we have seen over the past few years is a gradual increase in the number of Nigerian and Ghanaian professionals based abroad returning home to work. The West African economy is growing fast and consequently there are abundant opportunities opening up that many of these returnees are taking advantage of. Companies operating in the region are embracing them because they bring international best practices that local resources may not have been exposed to. 

What role should African governments be playing in attracting professionals in the diaspora?

In May 2003, the African Union Executive Council directed the AU to actively engage the African Diaspora in the development efforts of the continent.  Thus African Governments have already initiated the process of engaging the African Diaspora. I think more focused work needs to be done by each country because the reasons for brain drain differ even though they are broadly similar. Governments must first understand that there is an existing global war for talent. The European Union and other western nations such as the US, Canada and Australia are introducing or have already introduced immigration legislation that makes it significantly easier for qualified foreign professionals to immigrate permanently to these countries. Consequently, African governments need to have a much more aggressive approach similar to what the Chinese did in the late 80s.  Today there are hundreds of different kinds of special zones and industrial parks created by the Chinese government for returnees.  However the goal should not only be to draw nationals back home from the west; a retention strategy needs to be in place. Returnees sometimes do not stay because they don't want to be part of a phenomenon called the “brain waste” - a situation where conditions at home will not allow them to contribute at a level commensurate with their capability.

One of the foundations of developing a pool of capable managers is a good education. What are the prospects for the education sector in West Africa?

Over the last fifteen years there has been a huge population growth yet government spending on education has not kept pace. According to a report recently released by Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Education, the education sector was allocated less than 2% of the 2009 Federal budget, which is 85% less than the amount allocated in 2008. This egregious underfunding of education by African governments has led to the near-collapse of the public school system. Consequently many private schools have sprung up in West Africa, especially Nigeria, to fill the void for quality education. This trend will continue to keep up with the increasing demand for quality education.