Why Africa continues to have scientists brain-drain

While it might seem obvious that every scientist knows their worth, it is not obvious that we can negotiate and convey our worth.
And whether you are aware of it or not, negotiation is a necessary element in attaining the resources and attention that you are worthy of.
In a recent interview by Samson Kasumba of #NBSFocalPoint, I spoke of how we can entice those in the Diaspora to return. I then went on a social media crusade not just to share this interview, but also to inspire those who might want to get back home, but are not sure if their science, will be well appreciated. An intriguing comment caught my eye: “The scientists in the Diaspora know their worth.”
Of course, at first, I was disappointed by this comment, for after all, I feel as a geneticist of note, I know my worth. Could it be that those of us who return home are unaware of our worth or what of those who pioneer the science at home? In retrospect, I realised this comment warrants discussion. First, to demystify certain stereotypes about scientists “being humble, making no money” etc.
One must understand that our core training through academia dictates that we be “humble,” let our “science speak volumes,” which is great and all, but what of teaching us how to negotiate for what we are worth?
Secondly, to showcase the merits and demerits for scientists practicing in Africa and those practising in the Diaspora. As the statistics stand, Africa still continues to have a brain-drain of scientists, and only manages to contribute to 1 per cent of the world’s innovative outputs. This 1 per cent spans areas of human disease diagnosis and treatment/cure (as in the Ebola case), generation of resilient plant varieties, biodiversity conservation, and the list goes on.
For those scientists practicing in Africa to be in this 99th percentile of great innovators is the big drive behind returning or staying at home. But this comes with great sacrifice and lots of patience; something a science career does not avail in abundance.
A survey run by Collaboration for Research Excellence in Africa (CORE Africa), including 412 academics and spanning six countries, including Uganda, revealed some shocking statistics. 84.5 per cent of the scientists in sub-Saharan Africa take on unpaid research positions, 33 per cent of these managing to stick in those positions for up to five years.
This raises the question, why would they allow that and what do they stand to gain out of that? And I am sure the answer would be one most intriguing to those African scientists in the Diaspora.
The need to be a part of that 99th percentile of course! There are more research gaps in Africa than anywhere else and these gaps require African solutions. So despite the surveys, the statistics and making recommendations on how our policy-makers should develop initiatives that overturn the situation, our negotiation and communication skills need to be up to par in raising awareness about the importance of science research in resolving Africa’s challenges.
In conclusion, we should the following:
l Negotiate our unpaid positions in to a mentorship opportunities. Not only will that unpaid stint look good on the CV, but it garners the collaborations that will foster grants and awards in the long-run.
l Stop working in silos. Let’s communicate in plain language and expand our collaboration networks beyond our areas of expertise.
l Negotiation is a give and take. We should share information about research development programmes, grants and workshops with each other, that will draw the scientists in the Diaspora to our side.
l We should learn social media twang/colloquial (#) and nurture it to communicate our science.
l We should be multidimensional, people are more likely to find our science more appealing if there are other aspects to our personalities (ie I talk about my cycling even as a metaphor for biodiversity conservation).
l Flaunt the “nerd” in us. Science is too cool to be undervalued!
Ms Bitalo holds a PhD in Genetics with expertise in biodiversity conservation, science policy and diplomacy.

[email protected]