Realizing that a large chunk of the group of these Professionals are largely either Nigerians or South Africans, the two leaders of these most populous nations of Africa, President Olusegun Obasanjo and President Thabo Mbeki, worried by facts and figures of Africa’s brain drain problem decided, in 1999, to reverse the trend to brain gain through a mechanism that is today known as the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA).
The main instrument of Technical Cooperation includes the provision of Nigerian and African experts, provision of policy and technical advice, provision of preparation of surveys and studies, contribution to science research and technological development. These are diversified and may include public sector development; support to improved agricultural credit provision; introduction of new technologies for increased productivity, poverty eradication programmes; medicine, preparation of technical documentation required for round table discussions, consultative group meetings; capacity building and institutional reforms.