Global Black Voices: News from around the World
- Jamaica has far fewer researchers than World Bank benchmark, about 750 versus the 6,000 needed for meaningful R&D.
- 80 percent of Jamaicans with advanced degrees live overseas, but an estimated 60,000 diaspora professionals could be engaged.
- Reconnect the diaspora to local projects and secure funding; policymakers like Andrew Wheatley are pursuing programs to boost research capacity.
Diaspora key to Jamaica’s research future
A leading Jamaican scientist is urging the country to rethink how it approaches the loss of skilled talent, arguing that the issue can be transformed into an opportunity for national growth. Speaking at a recent academic gathering, Errol Morrison outlined a vision that shifts the long discussed problem of brain drain toward what he described as “brain gain.”
His remarks came during the Research Day Expo at the College of Agriculture Science and Education in Portland, Jamaica, where he emphasized the urgent need to expand Jamaica’s research base. Drawing on World Bank benchmarks, Morrison noted that countries pursuing meaningful research and development should have at least 2,000 researchers per million people. For Jamaica’s population of about 3 million, that translates to 6,000 individuals working in the field.
Current figures fall far short. “A detailed study of the Jamaican scenario shows we have no more than about 750 graduate level individuals involved in research and development,” he said. “So, we are not really on track to achieve major developments.”
A major factor behind that gap is migration. Morrison pointed out that 80 per cent of Jamaicans with advanced degrees are living and working overseas, limiting the country’s ability to build a strong research culture at home. At the same time, he identified a potential solution in the diaspora, estimating that roughly 60,000 qualified individuals could contribute if properly engaged.
Referring to earlier scholarship by Arthur Lewis, Morrison suggested that reconnecting diaspora professionals with local projects could help reverse the trend. “If we were to focus and follow that approach and show them local projects that they could be involved in, then we could possibly reverse the brain drain,” he said, describing the outcome as “a win win.”
There are signs of policy movement. Morrison pointed to the role of Andrew Wheatley, who has responsibility for science and technology initiatives, noting that efforts are underway to secure funding for research programmes. “Funding will certainly be coming in the not too distant future,” he said.
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