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27th October - Exporting Human Skills; A Welcome Move
The youth affairs minister recently intimated that the government is now negotiating exporting of skilled human labour to other countries. This is a welcome move for Kenyans. The global trend is for countries to identify their strengths and weaknesses based on their resources and concentrate on improving the strengths. Kenya has a fairly well educated and skilled population compared to the majority of its Africa counterparts. Unfortunately, the country suffers high unemployment levels. Even the majority of those employed just take up jobs that are not in line with their training as, a last result.
This new effort can compare to India’s experience. This is a country with very a high population yet well educated. The country has a well-developed information technology industry located in what is commonly dubbed as the Bangalore Valley. This industry supplies information technology services to many industries across the globe. Some airlines for example outsource these services directly from India. This applies particularly to IT based services that do not require personal contacts. India also supplies Information Technology specialists to many countries, the United States included. We have also seen major institutions including banks in Kenya sourcing IT expertise from India. The effect is superior foreign exchange earnings from just one area of strength in the Indian economy. Another example is the Hollywood film industry in The United States. The country has nurtured it to be among the best in the world. Indeed, the ambition of every film star is either to perform or at least be acknowledged in the Hollywood circles.China is also a good example that comes to mind. One of the driving forces behind China’s success is a large resource base of skilled labour. Some labour resource is exported to other countries particularly through development projects. In Kenya, we have seen them at work through the China roads projects. It is not lost to us that construction of the Moi International Sports Complex; Kasarani, was undertaken by the Chinese. I am told that the laborers were actually prisoners, serving jail terms.
This leads us to the theory of competitive advantage of nations, introduced in 1990 by Michael Porter of Harvard Business School. Without going to the finer details of the theory, it indicates that a nation can create its own competitive advantage using available resources. Kenya can make deliberate efforts of continually improving the skills of the youth through training. The improved skills will be needed in the country and the rest exported to others. Through this approach, there will be need for increased training opportunities in the country. This will lead to demand for more schools, more universities and more tertiary training institutions thus increased employment and wealth creation in the country.
Great care must however be taken to ensure that Kenyans do not become victims of foreign employment agents out to make a quick buck. Some indeed exploit unemployment as is apparent in the case of Susan Wanjiku, who is currently telling sorry tails of her experiences in Saudi Arabia. Perhaps, making full use of government embassies and missions spread out all over can alleviate the kind of suffering Wanjiku went through.
Finally, proper development and export of skilled labour will result to more employment and wealth creation opportunities in the country. Much needed foreign exchange earnings will also flow from the exported resource. Bwana Minister, go on and on. But, those who may not be absorbed in this program need to have their skills improved through business training. This is particularly necessary in the small business sector where lack of management skills hamper business growth. I belief every business should move from survival to growth and profitability.
Editor
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