Download engaging the diaspora

HARNESSING DIASPORA
INITIATIVES FOR SUB-REGIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
Professor Bolade M. Eyinla
Department of History
University of Ilorin
Ilorin, NIGERIA
[email protected]
TEASER
50 Million Overseas Chinese constitutes one of
the largest Diaspora in the World. This
Diaspora has built up powerful business
networks controlling significant sectors of the
economy in South and East Asia and beyond.
In the course of 50 years, they have made a
tremendous contribution to the socioeconomic development of China. The
Government of China has accorded
preferential treatment to the Chinese Diaspora
by creating an enabling environment for them
to get involved in the economic development
of China
NEED FOR PARAGIDM SHIFT
Need to stop talking about
brain drain of human capital
from Africa and to focus
attention on brain circulation
and brain gain of Africans for
Continental Development
3
THE DIASPORA
The word Diaspora originated from
the Greek words diaspeirõ, that is
scatter.
 The
word used originally to
describe the dispersal of Jews in the
8th to 6th BC.
 It is now used to describe any group
of people so dispersed.
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THE WEST AFRICAN DIASPORA
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West African Diaspora refers to all persons
originating from the West African Sub-region
who reside, work, or pursue educational
careers in various host countries.
People of West African origin who maintain
strong sentimental and material links with their
respective home countries in the sub-region.
Peoples of African descent who trace their
roots back to West Africa and have such
attachments to the sub-region.
THE WEST AFRICAN DIASPORA
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West African Diaspora is not a collective
group with collective identities.
They are not homogeneous entity, but
are heterogeneous individuals and
groups with diverse goals and interest
Operate through informal, ad-hoc and
disparate structures outside of
mainstream development agencies
THE WEST AFRICAN DIASPORA
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There exists among them the possibility of
transnational cooperation and collaboration.
The existence of such cooperation and
collaboration are real and must be
acknowledged by ECOWAS and the member
states.
To do otherwise may lead to the exclusion of
many individuals, communities and networks
willing to contribute to national and regional
development.
THE WEST AFRICAN DIASPORA
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African Governments at national, regional and
continental level must not be:
Oblivious
Indifferent
Hostile to their Diaspora and their progeny.
Doing so means overlooking an important
development resource
Rather they must develop an Efficient Diaspora
Strategy (EDS) in mobilising human & fiscal
capital for development
IMPORTANCE OF THE DIASPORA
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An Efficient Diaspora Strategy (EDS) must be
enabling, inclusionary and operated as a
partnership.
EDS has become an important developmental
resource.
EDS is becoming critical for national, regional
and continental political and socio-economic
development.
EDS increasingly occupies a central theme in
international development debates.
IMPORTANCE OF THE DIASPORA
EDS assist in promoting development
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Through Foreign Direct Investment
Remittance of money & other
resources
Participation in political processes
Encouraging tourism and cultural
understanding
Transfer of knowledge, experience,
know-how and intellectual capital.
ENGAGING THE DIASPORA
Strategies:
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Identify Diaspora Groups & Communities
Build a network with these communities
Establish positive communication with them
Establish an agenda for action with them
Provide an enabling and adequate policy
environment
Acknowledge ability of the Diaspora to bring new
political and economic ideas, skills, investments,
and above all, new ways of doing things
ENGAGING THE DIASPORA
ECOWAS COUNTRIES WITH ACTIVE
DIASPORA POLICY & STRATEGY
 NIGERIA: Ministries, Agencies,
Departments, NIDO, PSOs and CBOs
 GHANA: Ministries, Agencies,
Departments, Joseph Project and HTAs
 MALI: Full Fledged Ministry
 SENEGAL: Full Fledged Ministry
ENGAGING THE DIASPORA
Strategies:
 Improving the availability of relevant data on
Diaspora population
 Embark on advocacy and capacity building
activities
 Strengthen partnership among all stakeholders,
e.g. private institutions, academia, public
enterprises and other development stakeholders
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Develop joint strategies for development
ENGAGING THE DIASPORA
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Recognize the Diaspora as full citizens and
recognize their initiatives, competencies and
capabilities for institutional change and
building leadership
Establish organized structure for harnessing
Diaspora initiatives and contribution
Entrench adequate strategies into a national
policy on Diaspora
Address structural institutional and systemic
roadblocks against mainstreaming Diaspora
into national/regional political and socioeconomic life
ENGAGING THE DIASPORA
Regional Focus Areas:
 Infrastructure, Science and ICT
 Development of Small, Medium & Micro
Enterprises
 Enhancement of Entrepreneurial and
Technical Skill for the Youth
 Promoting FDI
ENGAGING THE DIASPORA
Address:
 View of Diaspora “foreigners” with lots of money to
spend and thus treated unfairly, routinely overcharged
and often misled
 State of insecurity as high level of security translates
into high level of return, whereas low level of security
implies low return
 Create
conducive
environment
for
Business
Development to mitigate deplorable state of
infrastructure, epileptic power supply, health facilities,
inefficient capital market, corruption, poor investment
climate and public law enforcement mechanisms
ENGAGING THE DIASPORA
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Develop Partnership with the World Bank,
UNDP, IOM and relevant development
partners
Adapt international best practice standards
and have assisted several countries/regions in
Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa
Adopt Benchmark practices of
countries/regions that have implemented
successful programme in Diaspora
engagement
ENGAGING THE DIASPORA
THANK YOU.