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(LUSAKA TIMES) Should Zambians in Diaspora Come Back

Should Zambians in Diaspora Come Back
November 20, 2008
By Wesley Ngwenya

Several years ago I was privileged to meet former president Levy Mwanawasa in Washington DC when he attended the annual United Nations Security Council Meeting. This was the year that Mwanawasa had just ascended to the highest office in the land. During the semi-formal meeting at the Zambian embassy in Washington DC, the President encouraged the many Zambians present to come back home to contribute to the rebuilding of the economy.

At the time I was doing my last year at one of the universities in the area. With the passion I have for my country, I took the president’s appeal very serious. A few years later I packed my belongings and came straight home to help in the rebuilding of my country. I had been gone to the United States for nine years and during that time had never come back home. I experienced reverse “culture shock” from the dilapidated infrastructure around the city to the many people standing around street corners with nothing to do. It was then it really hit home in my mind on how real and high unemployment rate was in my country.

The next day after arriving I went straight to work—applying for a job to various businesses, government, and non-governmental organizations where I thought my education and experience would be taken advantage of. I have never been offered a job to this day although I was able to attend a few interviews. I must mention here that at my last count I had applied to roughly 260 places over the period of a year and half.

I guess the big question is; Should Zambians Abroad Come Back Home? Or to rephrase the question; Are we ready for Zambians Abroad to come back home? During my stay abroad, I attended meetings of various African politicians and Zambians politicians who continue preaching about creating jobs and appealing for the Diaspora to come back home. Unfortunately, little is being done on the ground to prepare it for these people when they come. I find it frustrating to struggle like this in my home country. In the United States the employers rushed to offer me a position when they looked at my qualifications. On the other hand, employers here don’t seem to appreciate the education and experience I have. Not to mention that I graduated on the top tier of my class in Business Administration and Marketing. My experiences have included working as a manager for one of the largest financial institutions in the world. Not to mention that in all my marketing position I have won awards for best performance. Not to mention that I went to one of the best private universities in the United States. Not to mention that I also got another degree in communication from an elite private school.

If I was an employer here in Zambia and a CV that looked like this came to my desk I would be wanting to talk to this person. Businesses in Zambia must realize that Zambians educated abroad are not a threat to their teams but an asset that they must take advantage of. The world in becoming more and more integrated into one marketplace. Businesses with personnel who have a worldview approach and a global touch to business will stand the chance to benefit. Employees with a global view bring a wealth of experience including the ability to work well with different people from other cultures as well as people of different ages.

Government has absolutely failed in changing the unbelievably high unemployment rate in this country. They have failed the Zambian people in having poor labor laws that disadvantage many Zambians. For example, why hire a South African to be a cook at a hotel, or an American to work as a marketing manager, or a Chinese (who can hardly speak English) to work as a secretary? Needless to say that companies go to great lengths in acquiring work permits and other immigration papers for these people. Moreover these people are often paid three times or more what a more qualified Zambians is willing to take home. Is there any business sense in this other than the fact that these business owners have identified our weak labor laws and will relentlessly take advantage of them?

If government will attract the Zambian Diaspora to return home they need to even the playing field for everyone. As a matter of fact, the playing field should advantage the Zambians. Foreigners come to Zambia with little or no capital but within years they get wealthy. Of course they get wealthy since they get the huge government contracts, don’t have to queue for anything, and easily get business loans to start their businesses. Why advantage foreigners over your own citizenry? Do you think this would happen in Canada, Germany, Botswana or India? Of course not. The government, therefore, has an obligation to create an environment suitable for a poor woman in Solwezi to establish her business favorably the way an Australian will. It has an obligation to contract a Zambian owned business in Maamba over a Chinese owned business. It has an obligation to employ a returning Zambian student from the United Kingdom over an unqualified South African.

Sometimes, there is a stereotype that Zambian who come back have money—actually they don’t. Many of them worked hard in their host countries to acquire the little they had. Thank God at least many times they were recognized and appreciated for their hard work. Saving money was not so easy because of the demands that come with living in a foreign country. Therefore, when they come home they equally need to be empowered by giving them opportunities to get loans and establish businesses if they are to be self-employed. The Citizens Economic Empowerment Fund is a great initiative, however many Zambians don’t even know there is such a fund let alone how to access it. The application papers are unavailable and have to be bought at high prices. The application paper itself is complex with financial jargon for a graduate even. How will this help empower Zambians?

As I sit on my computer and put these thoughts to paper, I wonder of how things will be different for me a year from now. Will I find a job—just any job? Will my business pick after accessing that loan? I wonder about the blind lady on the fly over bridge on Church Road or the crippled lady across from Central Park. How will their lives change a year from now? Will their luck to have a meal continue to be in the hands of passer-bys in these tough times? Or should it be in the hands of the government? I wonder.

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posted by MrK @ 1:33 AM