Non Resident Zimbabweans critical for Zimbabwe Economic revival - Part 2 of 10

This is the second part of a 10 part series on how Non Resident Zimbabweans (NRZ) in the Diaspora can be engaged and assist in rebuilding and rebranding Zimbabwe .Over the last decade Zimbabwe has lost most of its trained and experienced citizens who left for various reasons including political and economic. During the same period Zimbabwe earned a dubious reputation of being associated with corruption, bad governance and a general negative perception as a hostile place to live and do business. Now there is an opportunity to rebrand the country as a progressive and modern tolerant emerging market. This can start with a formal engagement of the NRZ in assessing how they can directly help the re-branding effort.

The NRZ represent a whole generation of exported Zimbabweans who can use their newly acquired skills, networks, ideas and access to resources to rebuild Zimbabwe and rebrand it. The starting point would obviously be a skills audit and outreach program that seeks to engage the NRZ and assess their skills and their relevance in assisting rebuild the country. There is need to identify who has which skills and where are these individuals. The next step would be to assess what incentives it would take to re-attract these skilled individuals back to Zimbabwe.

The brain drain which was experienced by Zimbabwe over the last decade will take a great effort to recover from. A majority of the Zimbabweans who left were mostly educated at subsidized rates at a great strain on the country’s financial resources. It is imperative then for measures to be developed to re-attract some of these highly educated ,trained and experienced individuals to return to Zimbabwe and contribute in ways they can in resuscitating the Economy.

The skills audit and outreach program should include various specific incentives and measures developed with various Diaspora groups in mind. The Diaspora is a very diverse group with different needs, skills and ambitions. Therefore a one size fits all approach will not serve the nation best. The incentives and programs have to be developed with direct input from the NRZ and their representative groups. These are the best people placed in helping in formulating effective policy.

In the NRZ Diaspora community there individuals who just need a job whilst others are capable of creating jobs. These individuals are equally important in rebuilding the country but the incentive program and the timing of their return to Zimbabwe may not be the same. Others may just want to invest and a lot more would want to travel as tourists and keep in touch with families and friends and their motherland. These differences can be properly outlined and addressed through the use of the skills audit and outreach program.

The modern economy is driven mostly by skill and networking. These are qualities that are abundant in the NRZ Diaspora community. The challenge remains that of an official Government policy which is inclusive and recognizes the critical role which the NRZ has plated and can increasingly play is Zimbabwe’s recovery.

This article appears as courtesy of GMRI Capital ( http://www.gmricapital.com ) prepared for 3MG MEDIA

Gilbert Muponda is a Founder and CEO of GMRI Capital ( http://www.gmricapital.com ). He can be reached at;

Email: gilbert@gilbertmuponda.com . Skype ID: gilbert.Muponda

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Phone: 1-416-841-5542