Zimbabwe Human Capital Website

Zimbabwe’s economic crisis over the past five years has precipitated a growing exodus of professionals from the country in search of better economic opportunities. Skill areas affected include, but are not limited to, medicine, engineering, surveying, architecture, audiology, veterinary medicine and forensic science. The loss of trained and experienced professionals is of growing concern, as it has negatively impacted on service delivery.

Initiatives aimed at addressing the loss of human skills have been initiated in Zimbabwe. One such initiative is the establishment of the Taskforce on Human Skills Identification, Deployment, and Retention (THSIDR), which was established by the Government of Zimbabwe following the adoption of the National Economic Development Priority Programme (NEDPP) with the purpose of addressing the loss of human skills from the country due to emigration.

In particular, the Taskforce was set up to address the brain drain and identify skills return and retention strategies that would facilitate the economic turn-around. Following the convening of a conference in Nyanga which was attended by senior government officials, academics, representatives from the private sector and IOM a number of recommendations aimed at addressing the brain drain were proposed.

One of the prioritized recommendations was the establishment of an information and interactive website and database, a tool to be used for the engagement of the professionals in the diaspora for their contribution towards the economic and social development of Zimbabwe. In this regard the Government’s Taskforce on Human Skills Identification, Deployment, and Retention requested IOM to support the creation of a website and database of Zimbabwean professionals within and outside the country.

Accordingly, the Zimbabwe Human Capital Website has been created and one of its major purposes is to provide information on job opportunities in the country with a view to link the demand and source of labour. In addition, the website seeks to provide information on investment opportunities in the country that professionals in the diaspora may take advantage of. Further the database which is integrated to the website is designed to capture the profiles of Zimbabweans in the diaspora who are interested in participating in various initiatives where their skills would be required.

The above purposes of the website and the database are in cognisance of the fact that the majority of Zimbabweans in the diaspora have expressed willingness to participate and contribute towards the socio-economic development of the country. Further, it is against the background that many professionals in Zimbabwe are not properly deployed, partly because of the erosion of the real earnings of the workers. The prospects for the participation of the professionals, both within and outside Zimbabwe, have been illuminated by the dawning of a new political dispensation, ushered in by the government of national unity.

Cognisant of the fact that the fact that the reconstruction of the country is hinged on a capable human resource base, it is imperative to engage with relevant interest stakeholders whose operations are dependent on this resource with a view to familiarise them with the objectives of the Zimbabwe Human Capital Website. The stakeholders include, but are not limited to, Government of Zimbabwe, Public Service Commission (PSC), Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC), Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI), Zimbabwe Investment Authority (ZIA), Employers Confederation of Zimbabwe (EMCOZ), National Economic Consultative Forum (NECF), Zimtrade, Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines (ZCM), Zimbabwe Institute of Engineers (ZIE), Teachers Associations, Health Services Board, Association of Employment Agencies, Association of Local Authorities, Research Council of Zimbabwe (RCZ), Zimbabwe Academy of Sciences, Commercial Farmers Union (CFU), United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) among others.http://www.zimbabwehumancapital.org/about-zimbabwe-human-capital/about-the-initiative