Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1513227
DECEMBER 2023 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 37 textiles and shoe companies like Nike and Adidas going into a marketplace and build- ing some basic infrastructure, seeing that roads get built and that water and electric- ity become reliable. And then they move into semi-skilled manu- facturing, which helps build up a bit more of a skilled labor set, with more edu- cation. Then you have to have a reliable infrastruc- ture. I'm seeing reports of China going into areas in Northern and Central Africa and building roads and railways and starting to lay out some of that very basic infrastructure. But China's very good at playing the 100-year game. When it comes to Africa, a significant chal- lenge is the issue of brain drain. Highly educat- ed individuals oen find more lucrative oppor- tunities elsewhere in the world, making it dif- ficult for them to sustain a reasonable living in African countries. en retaining the talent for necessary engineering expertise in these coun- tries to foster market development becomes a challenge. Having visited three or four African countries in the last three years, I observed the same issues persisting across all of them. An opportunity that exists would be to estab- lish a better governmental ecosystem to foster and develop global relationships with manufac- turing firms looking for alternative labor pools, supported by infrastructure investments. Both could play a crucial role in keep- ing skilled professionals within these countries. Establishing these relationships could bring more opportunity to their local labor force, which could prevent many talented individuals from migrating to other European nations, ex- acerbating the issue of brain drain in the region. Shaughnessy: Do you have any parting advice for fabricators? Do your homework. It holds significance to delve into the available options world- wide. American fabricators can sometimes find themselves limited or confined to a spe- cific mindset. It is important to broaden our perspectives and explore the global landscape especially in this ever-changing climate. Johnson: Thank you so much, Aidan. ank you. PCB007 American fabricators can sometimes find themselves limited or confined to a specific mindset.