VOA标准英语2010年-Ghana Faces Worrying Brain Drain

The International Organization for Migration¹ says an increasing number of qualified², educated young Ghanaians are migrating to foreign countries.  It says this so-called "brain drain" could affect the country's economic and development prospects³. 

Ghana remains⁴ attractive for migrants from West African countries because of its political stability and relative economic well being.

But, at the same time, a new study shows many educated Ghanaians who are unable to find suitable employment at home are going abroad in search of work. 

The study by the International Organization for Migration finds more than 70 percent of Ghanaian migrants stay in West Africa.  But, it says this trend is starting to change.

IOM spokesman, Jean-Philippe Chauzy, tells VOA a growing number of highly skilled young professionals are heading toward countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.

"The report, for instance, shows that 56 percent of the doctors who are trained in Ghana and 24 percent of the nurses trained in Ghana are now working abroad," he said. "Similarly the report shows that 60 percent of faculty⁵ positions in polytechnics⁶ for instance and 40 percent of positions in university remain vacant because there simply are not enough qualified people to take up those positions." 

IOM says the co-called "brain drain," which has been increasing since the 1990s, is worsening labor⁷ shortages in critical sectors⁸ such as health and education.  It says Ghana does not have enough qualified teachers to train the next generation of nurses and doctors.

Chauzy says poor working conditions and the lack of opportunities for career advancement⁹ are pushing qualified Ghanaians to seek greener pastures abroad.

"It is unfortunately mostly a matter of money," he said.  "The report shows, for instance, that a Ghanaian doctor finding employment, let us say in Canada, will have a salary 25 times superior to the salary this person could have had in Ghana." 

"So, obviously, one of the main driving factors is the gap between salaries inside the country and salaries that can be had outside of the country, especially in developed northern countries such as Canada, the UK and the United States of America," he added. 

The number of Ghanaians estimated to be living abroad ranges between one-and-a-half and three million.  IOM says a positive impact of this growing emigration is that remittances¹⁰ to Ghana have increased dramatically. 

The Bank of Ghana estimates remittances increased from $476 million in 1999 to nearly two billion dollars in 2008. 

The report recommends Ghana create programs to encourage qualified Ghanaians to return to home for short periods of time so they can impart their skills to young people at home.

 

1 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。

2 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

3 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

6 polytechnics   

理工学院( polytechnic的名词复数 )； 工艺的，综合技术的

参考例句：

• I am a graduated of Shanghai Polytechnics. 我是上海理工大学毕业生。
• Polytechnics present golden opportunities to bright young men. 工艺学为大有作为的年轻人提供了绝好的机会。

7 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。

8 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 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。

10 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