Column by Renato D'Arca

Linking opportunities and curricula


As announced in the previous issue, this feature aims to provide a service to readers by indicating qualified job opportunities in Africa, to especially allow members of the African diaspora to contribute to their country's development.

Consultation has continued as regards the online job opportunities contained in the websites www.afriquemploi.com;
www.africa-job.com www.africaonline.com; www.findajobinafrica.com; www.emploi.sn; and www.icijob.com. These sites collect many offers from leading employers mainly in the field of international cooperation for development, both at the public and private level. More than 350 job advertisements, published in April and May 2002, have been identified. On the whole, the job vacancies found online seem to confirm the orientation mentioned in the previous issue of the magazine. Here are the most significant elements.

The countries featuring the most are South Africa, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Sierra Leone, Senegal,
Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Sudan and Uganda. A great number of job opportunities concern specific regions, mainly East and Southern Africa, and to a lesser extent West Africa.





The kind of job more frequently advertised is at the managerial level, such as a representative of a humanitarian organisation or of an enterprise in a country or region. Next come jobs to do with planning and creating complex programmes for the institutional support of African government agencies. There is also great demand for technical personnel, above all doctors (a "traditional" profession assisting development), but also professional people such as databank creators/managers and specialists in new technologies.

Employers are mainly international NGOs (Oxfam, Save The Children, World Vision, etc.) and enterprises, as implementers of
programmes started up by agencies in the field of cooperation for development on the part of (bilateral) donor countries. These very same organisations also promote initiatives of their own: in the case of NGOs, by channelling funds collected through solidarity activities towards countries in which humanitarian emergencies (due to natural disasters, wars, etc.) are greater; in the case of enterprises, by providing services (publicity, product distribution, telecommunication system assistance, etc.) for business activities in these countries. Most of the enterprises concerned are originally from African countries and almost all are in any case linked to international large companies and circuits.

Although to a lesser extent, even international agencies (the United Nations, development banks), foundations, research centres and universities seek personnel.

We shall now indicate some specific job opportunities considered to be particularly interesting for African emigrants residing
abroad. These indications are addressed to those who have moved to North America and Europe, very often acquiring skills and high levels of expertise, and who may be referred to as members of a second African diaspora. On returning to their original homelands, these people can contribute to the development of African societies. Even the new African managerial and entrepreneurial classes, although "shyly" and only in a few countries, are beginning to resort to these resources.


In Nigeria, a country with one of the most important industrial structures in Africa, there are six kinds of posts available for
industrial managers: IT (Information Technology) Managers, Production Managers, Quality Assurance Managers, Logistics Managers, Process System Managers, Sales Managers. All these occupations represent crucial positions in industrial production processes. In particular, the jobs are offered to expatriate Nigerians as "exciting opportunities for experienced professionals interested in returning to work in Nigeria". In order to obtain further information and to apply for a position, interested people should contact Mr. T. Cardoso, Change Management Associates, cma@findajobinafrica.com (phone +2341-3200110).

In Senegal, an important local firm requires the assistance of a person who knows French and Italian in order to develop its own trading services. Among the many Senegalese residing in Italy or in France, there may be someone interested in working in Senegal, by making use of the language skills gained. Interested parties can contact the RH service of Emploionline, at emploionline@tpsnet.sn.

There are also some vacancies advertised for a specific social and cultural job profile that may also be filled by expatriate nationals and not just by "returning Africans".

The Ministry of Education of Rwanda is seeking a consultant to draft a national strategy in order to achieve a general level of basic education by 2010. Applicants must know all the latest reforms in primary education systems in Africa, as well as the recent gains linked to adult education, concerning the formation of the competencies necessary in modern societies undergoing great changes. Interested people can obtain further information at the CFBT (Centre for British Teachers), from Mr David Knott, at dknott@cfbt-hq.org.uk (phone +44-1189021613).

The University of Botswana, supported by UNESCO, is seeking an academic expert in open and distance learning in order to promote exchanges and high level cooperation between the University and other cultural institutions. Applicants should contact T.J. Nhundu, Director of the Centre for Continuing Education, at nhundutj@mopipi.ub.bw (phone +267-3552055).

An expert from southern Africa is required in order to support the Jairos Jiri Association (JJA), active in Bulayo, Zimbabwe. The successful candidate will work as an advocacy trainer in order to draft a programme for safeguarding the rights of the disabled - the JJA's institutional mission - by training its representatives. Further information may be obtained from the CIIR (Catholic Institute for International Relations), at Monica@ciir.org (phone +44 20 7 288 8600).

International Family Health (United Kingdom, zkavuma@ifh.org.uk, phone +44 020-7247 9944 ext. 229) is seeking an expert to carry out action-research on the role of Faith Based Organisations (FBOs) active in Africa in the field of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH). The research aims to draft a basic document leading to setting up a discussion forum in Africa on the theme. The position is based in Nairobi, Kenya.

The American Refugee Committee (ARC, Minneapolis, USA, www.archq.org, contact person Heather Kidd archq@archq.org) is promoting a programme of Community Safety Initiative in Guinea, for which it is seeking a coordinator, preferably a woman of African origin. The programme aims to reduce the incidence of sexual violence in refugee camps (in Sierra Leone and Liberia) by improving the living conditions of women and their children.