Voluntary Service Overseas

Diaspora Volunteering Conference

Diaspora and Development: The Global Context

Dr Banjoko- AfricaRecruit

Presentation

SWOT analysis highlighting key opportunities for Diaspora Organisations

to tap into global developments

Contents

• Analysis and overview• Strengths• Weakness• Threats• Opportunities• Achieving the balance ?• Model• Examples

Analysis of the DiasporaC

apit

alis

e

Neu

tral

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Internal

External

Overview of the Diaspora• Millions globally dispersed• Historical first wave vs. Economic second wave and the third……fourth

generation born in the Diaspora• Mobile and Transnational, dual citizens• Very diverse from highly skilled, specialised ( professional, sports to the

unskilled)• Left for Career Professional reasons (60%); Economic reasons

(24%);Political (10%) others• Enabling and climate for migration i.e. Globalisation, integration • Demand in the West vs. Supply from Africa• Provide the following services

– Billions of dollars in human resources to the West– Billions of dollars in social security benefits to Africa– Billions of dollars in pension support to Africa– Billion of dollars in educational and business grants to Africa

Diaspora are part of the solution and problem NOT the solution or the problem

Strengths• Transnational citizens- dual.... triple nationalities• Self mobilisation around themes, countries, hometowns,

professional or alumni groups• Continuous flow• Support developmental projects/programmes at micro-macro

level• Sustainable -some of the Diaspora transit from not returning to

returning home• Leveraging on informal networks and knowledge of home

country, enabling effective navigation of the unseen • Local yet Global – passionate cost effective consultants• Higher Appetite for risks- Present in high risk places• Globally dispersed

Global – skilled candidate

• Global Talent- skills are mobile, candidates move in response to market place demand and remuneration

• Global perspective – candidates have a global view due to ever increasing exposure “MTV, Blackberry, Internet” generation

• Global Business with local footing – candidates desire international experience and exposure

• Global choices – “skilled” candidates have more choices well beyond their immediate environment

• Global expectations – candidates have a higher expectation

Weakness • Unavailability of information on ongoing projects, irrespective of

the fact that there are numerous projects going on.• Duplication and gaps• Short life span - Diaspora organisations averages 5years • Poor/lack of evidence based outcome and reliability of anecdotal

information – sustainability challenges• An anemia of information on various Diaspora organisations and

their projects across the continent • Disparate African Diaspora initiatives and programmes across the

continent, indicating a lack of a strong strategic agenda • Capacity and capabilities challenges for the Diaspora• Focus and alignment• Engagement• Personal risk the Diaspora take to engage • Adhoc engagement

Threats• Unjust skills subsidy • Creating a “Diaspora”• Default social services – gaps in public service provision by governments • Lack of recognition in some quarters of the role the Diaspora are playing• Poor/no engagement• Lack or poor understanding of the Diaspora• Infrastructure are trans-border; often there is no uniformity of policy• Globalisation• Political and economic instability• Expatriates • Migration laws

Opportunities 1 of 2 • Put in place and or build on effective capacity building mechanism

• For regional organisations and countries, with support from the international community, to build the capacity to improve access and support evidence based planning

• Realisation of the role the Diaspora play in national development - backed by effective Diaspora policies

• Purposefully harness the huge reserves of untapped Diaspora human capital scattered across the globe

• Focus on attracting human capital from the Diaspora.

• Introduction of bold and innovative policies such as allocating a quota of national and strategic level

• Build structured engagement based on developmental needs that fit into an overall developmental strategy rather than the adhoc engagement processes.

• Learn and share good practice models, which have succeeded i.e. Asia.

Opportunities 2 of 2 •Link with available networks

•Data on skilled professionals abroad

•Links with migrant professionals network

•Opportunities to share experience and skills with

colleagues ‘back home’

•Harness the motivation and skills of the Diaspora

•Ready made pool of skills and investors

•Harness the benefits of migration for both host and sending

countries

•Leverage ongoing drive to engage and facilitate Diaspora

engagement

•Opportunities for flexibility

                            SabbaticalsSecondments

Mentorship

Consultancy

Interims

Interns

Exchange

Voluntary

Permanent

Methods of Engaging Skills

ADDED VALUE

Repatriate –Expatriate

Skills Skills

Chair/Advisory/Board

Virtual engagement

Building framework

Enabling & facilitating

access

Achieving the balance – Retaining and

reclaiming from the Diaspora, turning the tide

Human Capital

Develop &

Retain

Attract & reclaim

Diaspora

Building capacity

and capability to

support development

Ability to engageDiaspora skills

Model• Mobilising the Diaspora

• Collect and disseminate pertinent information about the opportunities, challenges, prospects

• Match needs with Diaspora skills

Support and facilitate the Diaspora in their roles in rebuilding /contributing to countries of origin. (Operational and policy level both sending and receiving countries/regions)

Input

Process

• Skills database

• Success stories

• Inform policy making

• Scalability

Outcomes

Examples !!