Zimbabwe’s skilled professionals are finding opportunities abroad, with Mauritius snapping up veterinary specialists and Rwanda looking for more public sector workers, according to the Minister of Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare, July Moyo.
Moyo disclosed this during the launch of the Migrant Resource Center in Bulawayo on Wednesday, noting that orderly migration under a clear and well-defined immigration policy has benefits for both the receiving and sending country.
“The Government of Zimbabwe launched the National Labor Migration Policy in 2021 to create an enabling environment for the management of labor migration. This policy demonstrates the commitment of the Government of Zimbabwe to promoting the safe, orderly and regular flow of people for the socio-economic development of the country,” Moyo said.
Moyo noted that because of the country’s national labor migration policy, his Permanent Secretary led an inter-ministerial delegation to Rwanda to assess the organized migration Zimbabwe had engaged in with the Rwandans.
“We have sent nurses, doctors and teachers to Rwanda, and the Rwandan government is looking for opportunities to increase and diversify the number of people that can still be sent there. Some of the people who have gone to Rwanda are serving members of the public service. Some have been recruited specifically for this purpose and we are in discussions, For example, with other governments.”
“I know Mauritius wants vets to go to work and they believe Zimbabwean vets are the best they have,” the Public Service Minister added.
Moyo pointed out that in recent years, Mauritius has been accustomed to sending migrant teachers to Zimbabwe.
“One time I was walking on the beach in Mauritius and suddenly, a man and his children came from Mauritius and started talking to me because we were speaking Shona. The man was also speaking Shona and upon inquiry I found out that he was a teacher in Motoko and that this was immigration coming to us,” the minister said. “.
“We received a lot of immigrants through organized immigration like countries like Cuba when we were receiving doctors because of the shortage of doctors, especially in rural areas.”
The Public Service Minister said that if immigration is properly regulated, it can be beneficial for both the receiving and sending state.
“For those of you who are listening to me, if you want to become suitable migrants, register at these Migrant Resource Centers and tell us where you want to go, what you want to do and you can get protection,” Moyo said.
“Even if you go as an individual, we also urge our fellow migrants in the diaspora to reach out to our missions. When you go there by any means, you have been recruited, and your first point of contact when you are there is your government institution, which is our diplomatic mission in the country you are in, So that when disaster strikes, you know where to go.”
Moyo said labor migration is a key contributor to the 23rd Plan and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is consistent with the National Development Strategy (NDS) 1 and the national vision to achieve upper middle income status by 2020. CITE
