Lydiah Kemunto Bosire is a woman of substance. She is an entrepreneur who has a healthy take on African health and stems talent system. She feels that the new US Visa rule will stop thousands of international students from Africa to study in US Universities. As a Kenyan student, she has already missed out on an opportunity to learn at Harvard University despite having adequate education qualifications.
The founder of 8B education Investments feels that there is an urgent need to invest in the African health and stem talent system. Let us find out why she made that remark or observation in this post.
Why there is an urgent need to invest in African health and stem talent
Lydiah Kemunto Bosire is an entrepreneur who has made up her career from scratch. She knows that people are ready to invest $1000 in 50 African women to help them weave baskets. But no one is interested in supporting $50,000 on one African woman and helping her get the adequate academic qualification to start a basket weaving business. The problem is in the mindset of the people.
Unfortunately, African women and men face significant racial discrimination in many developed countries. The current US Visa rule will create major financial hurdles for African students. For the new law, African students can stay in the US to pursue their higher studies for only two years, which may not be enough for them. It would also stop the domestic students (even the future leaders of the world) from Interacting with the African students and eradicate the existing problems that they face due to stereotypical thought processes of the developed countries.
Lydiah Kemunto Bosire faced a lot of problems in her formative years as an African woman. She wants to solve problems for the students who genuinely deserve a chance to pursue higher studies in foreign countries.
At the beginning of 2020, the US immigration department stopped issuing student visas, creating a significant international student problem. However, the department issued visas to the health sector workers. So there was clear discrimination between the international students and health sector workers. Thousands of African students study abroad every year. Visa rules are bound to affect them both financially and academically.
The US Visa rule is hypocritical. It has discriminated between the African countries and the other countries. African students can stay in the US for only two years, whereas other international students can remain in the country for four years. This has shocked the African communities, and the international students are less likely to apply to US universities in the future. They are more likely to apply for Canada and the Australian universities until the US immigration department withdraws the restrictions.
Africa is already in the process of developing world-class universities for their domestic students. However, that would take some time and capital. Pandemic has created fresh challenges for developing world-class universities where students will get every kind of facility. Until then, she feels exceptional and outstanding students should get a chance to study in foreign universities. They deserve a fair opportunity to study and progress.
It’s time to stop the brain drain
The perception of Africa or African students needs to be changed, and that too fast. The developed countries need to understand that there are outstanding African students who can contribute to the world economy in the future.
The developed countries are comfortable with the brain drain concept. They hire the best brains from third world countries and use them for their development and growth. For example, the present Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, is an Indian student. He is an IIT pass out who went to the US and gradually became the Google CEO after working for several years based on his merit. What is strange is that nobody says that Surendra Pichai could have done in India and contributed to the growth and development of the technology industry there.
India also doesn’t resent the fact that it’s a massive loss for them. They are proud of the fact that Surendra Pichai is working at Google. It’s a matter of great pride. The whole world looks at India with respect and reverence.
The condition of Africa is even worse. Investors are ready to invest in the excellent Indian STEM students. The spectacular career growth of Surendra Pichai has increased the confidence of the lenders on the Indian STEM students. Unfortunately, Africa doesn’t Get Enough investment from the lenders. Again it comes from perception. Lenders feel that there are not enough talented Africans on whom they can invest money. But this is not true at all.
There are talented and outstanding students in Africa who want a chance to pursue their higher studies in the world’s best universities and get all the required facilities. People should stop looking down upon the African student just because of their skin color. They have the right brains that need to be nurtured and cultivated. It is only possible when they get the chance to study with the best minds in the world. Mutual interaction with each other and access to exclusive resources can help African students to grow and prosper. Recently, a former President of the US Foundation expressed that the term ‘brain drain’ is more associated with African students than India or any other country.
Conclusion
The world needs more entrepreneurs like Lydiah Kemunto Bosire. But for this, lenders need to have confidence in the American students and invest money in the human capital. Otherwise, African students will never get an opportunity to become a big market for investors. African students should also take the initiative to overcome all the obstacles and hurdles that come their way. Prejudices are there, but they have to withstand all those things. The journey is not smooth, but there is also a way if there is a will and determination.
Let us hope that the African students’ scenario will change soon, and lenders will invest money in the African health and STEM talent. Let us grow globally together.
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