Kuda Bwititi in BEIJING
THE Zimbabwe-China Overseas Students’ Alumni Association (OSAA) is working to create a structured talent pipeline linking Zimbabweans studying in China with employment, investment and professional opportunities back home.
OSAA chairman Mr Eric Mupona, a Zimbabwean PhD student in China, said the association was established to address challenges faced by students and graduates in the diaspora, particularly the uncertainty over opportunities awaiting them after completing their studies.
Speaking at an interactive meeting with Zimbabwean students in China on Monday, Mr Mupona said OSAA was aligned with Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), 2026-2030, which prioritises human capital development as the country moves towards a knowledge-driven economy.
“NDS2 explicitly calls for engaging the diaspora to harness global expertise and promote diaspora investment,” he said.
Noting that the number of Zimbabweans studying in China is growing, he said this represented an important pool of skills and expertise that could be harnessed for national development.
However, he said many returning graduates faced difficulties in translating their China-based education and professional experience into opportunities in Zimbabwe.
“Returning graduates find their China-acquired degrees and Mandarin skills are invisible or unfamiliar to local HR departments,” he said.
Mr Mupona said professional networks built by Zimbabweans during their time in China also tended to weaken after they returned home.
This, he said, could result in highly trained graduates being employed in areas unrelated to their qualifications.
“A generation of well-trained graduates remains underemployed in roles unrelated to their expertise,” Mr Mupona said.
OSAA was established in Zimbabwe in 2023 as a non-profit and non-political voluntary association of Zimbabwean alumni and current students in China.
It was officially relaunched at the Harare Forum for Africa in August 2025, with diplomatic support, while its China Chapter was formally constituted on February 28 this year.
At the interactive meeting the students from several universities in China applauded OSSA for its initiatives and pledged to work with the organisation.
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