Saeed very good article but you failed to acknowledge one factor that inhibits all refugees to Australia regardles of education and that is Language. It is true you have many educated people in your communities, but most of them can't speak english well enough to be understood by ordinary Australians.

As an employer I would love to employ people who want to work including Africans, but the problem is that many refugees cannot be understood by their work mates and the communication gap can cost business especially when dealing with female custommers.

I also cannot see any future for African refugees in particular the men in this country unless they adapt to the new culture, sticking to the old ways are fine behing closed doors but raising a new generation of people in Australia like back home is just cultural suicide.

You may not have liked what Andrews said about you community, but you should thank god that you live in a country where his views as a politician are not implemented toward your group through the barrel of a gun as in your former home.

It makes me wonder what is wrong with our own young people. Why is it that they are so complacent? The technical university degrees are filling up with migrants who are willing to do anything to get skills and qualifications while our laid back youngsters couldn't give a hoot. Meanwhile Australia has been facing a massive skills shortage that threatens our economy. Why is it that new arrivals are a thousand times more motivated than we are and then after trashing every opportunity given to us we have the hide to whinge about how unfair it is.

The answer to your question Porphyrin, is selective skilled migration. The people that come to Australia are the most highly motivated that those countries have to offer. Africans will face problems in Australian society because they stand out from the crowd and make the social engineering of Australian society explicitly obvious.

Great article

I agree that under-using the skills of migrants and refugees is a waste economically and socially damaging. The most recent wave of migrants always seems to bear the greatest weight of prejudice and stereotyping, and it seems the Africans are taking on this unfortunate burden.

With the labour market as tight as it is we have the opportunity to get migrants into the most productive work possible, and surely investing in language and other skills needed to make that transition will pay off many times over.

Possibly one of the most inhumane articles I have seen.

“Australia’s African communities are ready to carve out their place in this nation’s social and economic prosperity. Only the opportunity to give something back remains illusive.”

This may be the case, but one would think that the best place for Africans with higher qualifications is to remain in Africa and be helping their own people.

Many African countries are now decimated by AIDS with millions of children now orphaned. Uganda alone appears to have about 3 million orphaned children, and also has severe problems with starvation and the quality of drinking water.

That is just Uganda, and there are many other African countries that are similar.

So the best place for Africans with higher qualifications is not in Australia or in any other country except in Africa and helping their own people.

"Untapped" is the word, but I do agree with YINDIN that the flow of the talent's communication with other Australians must be understood by the customers or clients they come in contact with.A highly qualified professional who is not understood, is unfortunately a problem for their employer.A course in Australian English and pronunciation and even an elocution teacher to teach "How we torke!" would be a great start.I have had personal experiences where I have been dismayed, by the conflict of respect for the professional but having to act because of practical considerations.
The other comment regarding Africans going back to where they came from,cannot be mandatory, any more than Australians staying overseas in jobs should return here!However I agree that working here and experiencing the Australian way of life is excellent for a few years to learn how the other half of the world lives and then return to one's own country of birth as I did,after 4 years in Europe.