VOA常速英语2007年-Migration of African Professionals Worries Afri

By Scott Bobb
Johannesburg
08 November 2007

The European Union has announced a plan to admit 20-million skilled workers during the next 20 years in order to meet projected labor¹ shortages. The proposal has drawn² protests from leaders in developing nations, and in particular Africa. they say this will aggravate³ an already severe shortage of skilled-labor in their countries. Correspondent Scott Bobb reports from our Southern Africa Bureau in Johannesburg.

The European Union's proposed Blue Card would allow non-European professionals, primarily in the fields of health, engineering and information technology, to work and eventually acquire permanent residency in Europe.

But, senior African officials say the proposal would aggravate what they called a brain drain of skilled African professionals that is hurting development on the continent.

A spokesman for the Ghana-based Association of African Universities, Pascal Hoba, said the effect is particularly demoralizing for Africa's universities which are training the next generations of African professionals.

"The African brain drain is a reality, unfortunately. And as an association of African universities, AAU is deeply concerned when the product of its endeavors is attracted by other horizons," said Hoba.

Statistics compiled by international organizations show that about 20,000 African professionals leave the continent each year. The number appears small when compared to the total number of migrant workers in the world, some 80 million, but it represents a significant portion of African professional corps⁴.

A dozen countries, including Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Kenya, have lost 40 percent of their professionals or more. Some smaller countries, such as Cape⁵ Verde and the Gambia, have lost more than 60 percent of their skilled workers.

Zambia reportedly has lost more than 80 percent of its doctors trained since independence. South Africa lost one-quarter million professionals in the 1990s and now has vacancy⁶ rates of up to 40 percent in some public hospitals and government offices.

Critics say the figures mean that African universities are spending billions of dollars a year to help staff offices and laboratories in the developed world.

Hoba says the causes vary from country to country.

"In some countries depends on the political situation," he added. "And in some of them it is more the socio-economic problem."

He says war and political crises drive some professionals away from their home countries. But by far the greatest attractions are higher salaries and enhanced facilities for research and professional advancement⁷.

The International Office of Migration⁸ tracks global migration patterns and sponsors conferences on migration issues. Its research director, Frank Lazcko, says migration is part of a globalization trend of labor.

"It is a mixture of both supply and demand factors. Across the world there is a growing demand for skilled people," he said. "You have competition between rich countries, but you also have movement of people from developing countries to richer countries in the north."

He says there is also significant migration from developing nations to other developing countries. And he notes that rural areas in Africa suffer the most from the brain drain because many professionals want to work only in the cities.

Laczko says the I.O.M. has programs that encourage skilled African expatriates to return home on temporary or permanent assignments.

Some countries, such as Botswana and South Africa, have launched programs to attract skilled citizens back home and ease their reintegration into local society.

Pascal Hoba says the African University Association has launched programs in Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana, whereby universities sponsor expatriate African professors for periods of three to six months to work at universities in their home countries.

But he says a more permanent lure⁹ (attraction) would be to improve salaries and facilities at African institutions.

"One of the recommendations that came up clearly is to reconsider the salary issues of higher education staff," added Hoba. "And also to make the environment of work appropriate for research or teaching and community engagement for higher education."

Laczko says in the past the predominant view was that the best way to develop a country was to stop migration. But he says there is a growing realization¹⁰ in some countries that migration is not all bad.

"Migration can bring a great number of benefits for the country of origin, most visibly in terms of the moneys that are sent back through remittances¹¹, but also through these various diaspora linkages¹² and also when people return, whether temporarily or permanently¹³, to their country of origin with new skills, new contacts and greater experience," said Laczko.

He notes that few countries restrict migration of their citizens. He says governments should recognize that worker mobility¹⁴ is likely to increase around the world and develop policies to address it.

"It is for governments to decide how best to manage that mobility in the interests of development and that inevitably¹⁵ also requires a certain degree of cooperation between states because migration inevitably involves two or more countries," he added.

The European Union says its proposed Blue Card program would avoid recruiting professional categories that are already in short supply in Africa. Some African governments have extracted pledges from certain western states to refrain from recruiting in Africa.

But observers say such agreements do not restrict the operations of private recruitment agencies which are becoming major players in global labor movements. As a result, they say there is no single solution to the global labor migration trend, if indeed there is any solution at all.

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

3 aggravate   

vt.加重(剧)，使恶化；激怒，使恼火

参考例句：

• Threats will only aggravate her.恐吓只能激怒她。
• He would only aggravate the injury by rubbing it.他揉擦伤口只会使伤势加重。

4 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

5 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

6 vacancy   

n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺

参考例句：

• Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。
• The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。

7 advancement   

n.前进，促进，提升

参考例句：

• His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
• The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。

8 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

9 lure   

n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
• He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。

10 realization   

n.实现；认识到，深刻了解

参考例句：

• We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
• He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。

11 remittances   

n.汇寄( remittance的名词复数 )；汇款，汇款额

参考例句：

• He sends regular remittances to his parents. 他定期汇款给他父母。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Remittances sometimes account for as much as 20% of GDP. 在这些国家中，此类汇款有时会占到GDP的20%之多。 来自互联网

12 linkages   

n.连接( linkage的名词复数 )；结合；联系；联动装置

参考例句：

• Only the thermosetting resins provide a strong cohesive forces; this is due to molecular cross linkages. 只有热固性树脂具有巨大的凝聚力，这是由于分子交错链所造成的。 来自辞典例句
• The linkages between the stable units must be as near as possible of equal stability. 稳定链节之间的键必须有尽可能接近的稳定性。 来自辞典例句

13 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

14 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

15 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。