Zimbabwe losing college graduates as brain drain continues
By Tererai Karimakwenda
31 October 2005

Zimbabwean professionals have been fleeing to greener pastures for years now and as the economic deterioration has continued, students are already making plans to leave the country. A new survey has revealed that more than 56% of Zimbabwean final year college and university students are likely to emigrate within the first six months of completing their studies.

The survey was carried out by the Southern Africa Migration Project, an independent migration study organisation. It targeted students at university, technical, commercial and teachers colleges. Seventy per cent of the students interviewed said they would most likely leave the country within two years of completing their courses. Only 6% said they did not know whether they would leave.

The survey also revealed that over a quarter of the students would have applied or will be in the process of applying for a work permit in another country even before they finish their courses. As the economic decline is showing no signs of letting up and the government seems to have no practical solutions, the students also anticipate a long spell in the diaspora.

Despite all the negatives associated with Zimbabwe these days, 60% of the students said they were proud to be citizens of the country, and seventy-eight per-cent believe they have an obligation to contribute to national development through sharing their skills and talents. However, they remain unconvinced by the government's assurance that the economy will recover any time soon.

Countries in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) are the leading destination for Zimbabweans with 36% of the immigrants heading there. Twenty-nine per cent of the Zimbabweans prefer Europe, 29% North America while a paltry 1% may go to the rest of Africa. The report also indicated that the country would face an even more serious problem of brain drain as the economic situation worsens.