Building Institutional Cooperation between the Diaspora and Homeland Governments in Africa - The cases of Ghana, Nigeria, Germany, USA and the UK
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Building Institutional Cooperation between the Diaspora and Homeland Governments in Africa US The cases of Ghana, Nigeria, Germany, USA and the UK ADPC Policy Brief June 2010
POLICY BRIEF
Building Institutional Cooperation
between the Diaspora and
Homeland Governments in Africa:
The Cases of Ghana, Nigeria,
Germany, the US and the UK
Introduction they themselves have identified as a
research priority in this field.
This policy brief disseminates the main
findings of the latest policy-oriented The study was published in order
publication produced by the African to contribute to the policy dialogue
Diaspora Policy Centre (ADPC). This currently taking place in the field from
policy-relevant study was undertaken a perspective which has, thus far, been
in order to gain a better understanding largely overlooked despite its critical
of how the interaction and engagement significance. Furthermore, the study
between the African diaspora and advances knowledge in the field by
homeland institutions in the past ten contributing to our understanding of the
years have facilitated the development long-term sustainability of diaspora-
of formal cooperation between the two driven development activities in the
entities. The study examined trends homelands. In this regard, the study not
and developments from experiences, only addresses a new research agenda
policy constraints and catalysts of but also fills a knowledge gap in the
best practices, and has identified key field of migration and development.
drivers for institutional cooperation
between the diaspora and homeland This publication proposes policy
governments from which valuable measures and feasible strategies that
lessons can be learned. can foster the development of formal,
effective and sustainable institutional
This study, which is the first of its cooperation between diaspora and
kind, is a collaborative effort involving homeland governments, significantly
institutions and researchers from both increasing the contribution of the
home and host countries working in diaspora to the overall development of
the field of migration and development. their countries of origin in a sustainable
It therefore articulates the voices and large-scale manner. Enhanced
and perspectives of diaspora and institutional cooperation can also help
homeland researchers on a topic that the governments of Africa integrate
2diaspora-driven development into their education, employment promotion,
respective domestic development micro-entrepreneurship and business.
strategies, such as the Poverty Furthermore, diaspora development
Reduction Strategy Papers and plans practitioners remain active at
for the achievement of the Millennium different levels in the homelands.
Development Goals. The book is They are involved in a broad range of
intended to inform policymakers in the development-related activities at the
field of migration and development of local, sub-national and national levels.
the benefits to be gained from formal Consequently, the interaction of the
institutional cooperation with the diaspora in homeland development has
diaspora development practitioners. grown from simple to very complex and
dense processes.
The study identifies five key policy
areas that hold high priority in the This is partly the result of the diaspora
discussion regarding the fostering becoming better organised in the host
of formal institutional cooperation countries through such structures as
between diaspora and homeland professional or development-oriented
governments and the sustainable associations. In addition, diaspora
contribution of the diaspora to the organisations and associations in the
development of their respective host countries are gaining access
home countries. The five areas that to considerable financial resources,
the study recommends for targeted which enables them to sponsor, in
policy considerations and practical a sustainable manner, development
interventions are briefly outlined here. projects in their respective homelands.
There is also a growing realisation
among the diaspora that they have
Diaspora involvement a responsibility to contribute to the
in homeland development of the continent that they
have left physically but not emotionally.
In the past five years, the involvement This emotional attachment is the
of the diaspora in their respective source of the spirit that prompts the
home countries has been increasing diaspora to maintain ties with their
tremendously. Moreover, the countries of origin, which is translated
engagement of diaspora development into obligations and thus into concrete
practitioners in homeland development commitments and actions through
has been diversified, entrenched projects and activities. Diasporas also
and broadened in scope and often feel that they are now in a strategic
cuts across both social services position to facilitate the process of
and financial sectors. For example, transnational activities and networks
members of the diaspora have become and act as development bridge-
active to varying degrees in health, builders between the West and Africa.
3POLICY BRIEF
This strategic position particularly Imperatives of
enables them to mobilise considerable
resources (capital, knowledge and
institutional cooperation
networks) for the development of the
continent. Furthermore, as a result The study also reveals that the current
of inexpensive transportation and contacts and relationships between
communications technology, diasporas the diaspora and policy institutions in
consider themselves to be at home and the homelands are mainly informal, ad
abroad at the same. hoc and sporadic in nature. They are
primarily based on individual and group
The growing involvement and visibility interactions and directed specifically
of the diaspora in the development at family, village, community and local
of the homelands has helped levels. In many cases, the access and
them to position themselves as reach of the diaspora to other societal
critical development actors within and national levels is extremely limited.
development policy circles in the Such access depends largely on the
developed countries. In this regard, relationship between the diaspora and
diasporas have become the key drivers the homeland and on the policies of
for a diaspora-led development sector the government towards the diaspora
that can be considered separate abroad. The current relationships,
from the traditional development therefore, remain informal and have not
cooperation sector within the domain of yet become officially institutionalised.
Western donor governments. Consequently, this limits any efforts
toward intensive and sustained
Nevertheless, although the development cooperation between the
development-related activities African diaspora and home-country
mediated by the diaspora in their governments.
respective homelands have become
more complex and vast, the policy For this reason, more needs to be done
response from the home governments in terms of putting in place policies
is ad hoc, fragmented and remains that facilitate the diaspora to establish
insufficient. This is an evolving contacts and access networks with
reality that homeland governments institutions at the national level. In
have to address with appropriate other words, the existing contacts need
policy measures in order to gain to be expanded from the family and
maximum benefits from the increasing local level to higher levels, in order to
engagement of the diaspora in the facilitate the process of institutional
development of their countries of origin. cooperation at the national level. This
is already happening in some countries
while in others it has not yet occurred.
4Establishing structures of formal residing in power centres where global
cooperation between the diaspora decisions are made. The diaspora
and homeland governments is critical will capitalise its strategic position in
in the partnership for sustainable the Northern countries to promoting
development. Such cooperation policies that impact positively on
provides a framework within which the continent in terms of favourable
the engagement of the diaspora policy changes, trade concessions,
in the development of their home debt cancellation and appropriate
countries could be scaled up via development programmes among
official support from government others.
institutions. It would also give the
diaspora formal recognition within At the country level, formal cooperation
established development circles, as will make it much easier to draw on
credible and indispensable agents available skills and expertise. This
for development in the homelands. will help compensate for the dramatic
Additionally, cooperation with scarcity of skilled personnel which
homeland governments would endow many countries on the continent
the diaspora with a voice and political are facing today because of the
influence in decision-making processes devastating effects of the brain drain.
regarding migration and development- For example, governments can place
related issues. Moreover, several skilled diasporas in critical institutions,
diaspora organisations interviewed both public and private, in order to
for this study have explicitly stated improve and deliver adequate services.
that formal partnerships would help This kind of practical collaboration
motivate them to contribute more to the can easily facilitate the growth of solid
overall development of their countries institutional cooperation between
of origin. the diaspora and the homeland
government in the long run.
The study identifies tangible
advantages to be gained from formal Similarly, institutional cooperation at
cooperation with the diaspora at the sector level within a country is
several institutional levels, such as critical. It not only facilitates a targeted
the African Union (AU) or the New integration of the skilled diasporas into
Partnership for Africa’s Development homeland development efforts, but also
(Nepad), as well as at the country level boosts the efficiency and delivery of
and at sector level within a country. services to the sectors they serve. The
For instance, for continental level sector level is also the most appropriate
bodies, the development of formal entry point and practical steps can be
partnerships will assist them to benefit initiated to gradually scale cooperation
from the lobbying, campaigning and up to national and continental levels.
advocacy capacities of those diasporas Although collaboration activities may
5POLICY BRIEF
be initiated at the sector, national or further development goals, and invest
continental levels, they can stimulate resources and policy focus in these
multi-layer engagement. When this sectors in order to help advance
occurs, it facilitates the establishment institutional cooperation with the
of sustained institutional cooperation diaspora. What these particular sectors
between African governments and are depends on the historical, social
African diasporas. Such cooperation, and economic context of any given
in turn, facilitates the articulation of country. For example, in Ghana, civic
collective strategies for economic institutions and individuals such as
progress, viable political institutions chiefs play a crucial role in fostering
and progressive social change on the the engagement of the diaspora
continent. in the development of the country
at municipality and village levels.
The success of the local hometown
Key drivers for associations (HTAs) in development in
institutional cooperation Ghana is the result of active cooperation
with the chiefs (both those in Ghana
The study reveals the existence of and those living overseas as members
key sectors that drive the fostering of of the diaspora) and local institutions.
formal institutional cooperation between In Nigeria, however, the private sector
diaspora and homeland institutions. This plays a critical role in the participation of
new insight is a significant finding in this the diaspora in domestic development
study as it increases our understanding through business links. Investing more
of the entry points that can greatly in this sector would greatly contribute
facilitate the formal engagement of the to the fostering of sustained institutional
diaspora in the development of their cooperation between the Nigerian
respective home countries. Furthermore, diaspora and the homeland. Through
the identification of specific sectors other sectors in each country, such
that are key drivers makes it possible as health and education, members of
to undertake initiatives geared towards the diaspora can also transfer critical
targeted interventions in this area. It also knowledge and innovative technological
helps homeland governments to focus skills. An important lesson to be drawn
their efforts on limited sectors that could from the present research, then, is that
make a difference in the cooperation investing in the particular sectors that
between diaspora and homeland tend to attract diaspora engagement
institutions. and fuel development in a given country
reaps enormous benefit in terms of
For example, the case studies highlight advancing institutional cooperation with
the importance of a country identifying the diaspora.
its own specific sectors in which the
engagement of the diaspora can
6This study focuses only on the cases diaspora development practitioners
of Ghana and Nigeria in the homelands have been establishing, sponsoring and
and thus the findings are limited and implementing projects in their respective
more comparative surveys are required. homelands where, until now, they have
It should be seen, therefore, as a staging sought little strategic collaboration with
point for new research in this policy sub-national development actors.
area. That said, Ghana and Nigeria have
been forerunners on the continent in The case studies show, for example,
dealing with diaspora and development- that current collaboration between
related issues. The study reveals various diaspora organisations, and
that they are far ahead of many other between diaspora organisations and
countries in Africa, especially those other development actors, is often
which have only very recently begun limited and sporadic in nature. Yet, they
engaging with their diaspora. For this are already involved in development-
reason, both countries provide valuable related activities on the ground. Despite
lessons for best practices, which this, and the fact that they strive for
remain catalysts for latecomers to the common goals, they largely operate
field. More importantly, this study was separately with little or no collaboration.
primarily undertaken to document and This limits the impact of homeland
disseminate examples of existing best development activities in which they
practices and catalysts of constructive are involved. One of the reasons of why
institutional cooperation among African they have not seized the opportunity
diaspora organisations and African is a lack of awareness of each other’s
governments on the continent from unique potential and added value.
which lessons can be learned for policy- This stems from a lack of evidence-
making purposes. based knowledge and information,
which can provide insights for policy
measures and practical actions relating
Sub-national to the issue. In particular, local NGOs
development actors in the homelands have neglected to
explore the benefits that diaspora
The study shows that the contribution development organisations can offer
of diaspora organisations to the through collaboration, such as acquiring
development in homelands can be new technological skills and smart and
considerably up scaled if they partner innovative implementation of projects
with sub-national development actors, targeted at the welfare of communities
both in the host and home countries. and beneficiaries.
Key sub-national development
actors include NGOs, private sector, However, diaspora development
philanthropists, municipalities and local practitioners can no longer operate in
governments. In the past few years, isolation. The recent global economic
7POLICY BRIEF crisis has left long-lasting consequences its unique strengths and added value that have deeply affected the flow of into the projects, leading to increased diaspora remittances to their respective reach, capacity, efficiency and impact homelands. The crisis also affected the of the projects on development in the sustainability of community-oriented local communities. Such cooperation projects that diaspora development ensures that the diaspora gains access practitioners have been implementing to professional expertise, practical in their countries of origin. This new experience, influential networks and development, therefore, compels the resources from the mainstream sector. diaspora to enter into development With sufficient facilitation, it will also partnerships with sub-national substantially upscale the development development actors. This can be activities undertaken by the diaspora. promoted by raising awareness of the greater development benefits that are In a nutshell, the potential for reaped from strategic collaboration collaboration between the diaspora through workshops and expert and sub-national development actors, meetings, which bring together the as outlined above, has not yet received diaspora and sub-national development sufficient policy and research attention, actors. Such meetings would enable despite its critical importance in them to establish viable networks, to the boosting of development in the learn from each other’s development homelands. Evidence-based research related activities, to exchange valuable that will enable us to better understand information, share best practices and how to foster effective development positive experiences. It will also enable partnerships between the diaspora and them to enter into strategic alliances sub-national development actors is and initiate joint development projects urgently needed. that could contribute more to poverty reduction and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in Capacity building for the homelands. diaspora policy Diaspora development practitioners The study reveals the urgent need to and sub-national development actors upscale the capacity for diaspora- can make a difference if they join oriented national policy strategy in the forces in the struggle to reduce poverty homelands in Africa. There is a glaring and boost domestic economies lack of capacity among institutions in the homelands. In other words, dealing with diaspora and development- collaboration could substantially related issues on the continent. This improve the impact of their work. capacity deficit is hampering the The advantage of joining forces is performance of those government that each development sector brings officials in Africa tasked with overseeing 8
diaspora-related matters. Practically, study’s insights could be of particular
it prevents policymakers from making help in the formulation of informed
well-informed policy choices and policy positions and instruments that
appropriate decisions in the field of can be translated into feasible strategic
migration and development. It also interventions and realisable actions.
hinders the development of feasible It will also help them to acquire the
strategic interventions and realisable capacity to develop a Migration and
actions that can help to maximise the Development Strategy Paper (MDSP).
contribution of the diaspora to the This is a long-term policy plan aimed
development of the continent. at reaching out to the diaspora and
making it easy for them to return, set
The capacity building needs for a up businesses, transfer badly needed
diaspora-oriented policy framework in knowledge, expertise and resources,
Africa continue to grow. For instance, thereby remaining deeply engaged with
there are now more than 30 African the development of their countries of
countries that have established origin. Until such a policy strategy paper
diaspora-oriented institutions and is developed, the efforts of the newly
ministries in order to address diaspora tasked diaspora representatives on the
issues more professionally. However, the continent will remain ad hoc, informal
newly appointed policymakers serving and less effective in terms of mobilising
in these newly formed institutions lack the diaspora for development in the
essential access to useful and up-to- homelands.
date information in the field, as research
results are not targeted at them. Rather, Developing a diaspora-oriented policy
the knowledge and policy insights strategy must be a primary priority for
produced so far in the field of migration every country in Africa that is striving
and development are generally to gain substantial benefits from the
produced by researchers in the West considerable resources of its diaspora
and targeted at policymakers in the host overseas. At the same time, it will not
countries. be easy for many countries in Africa
to design a national diaspora policy
This study bridges the North−South without acquiring sufficient technical
knowledge gap in the field of migration knowledge in the field of migration
and development, by making and development. For instance, even
available knowledge and information though the two case study countries of
to policymakers in Africa who are Ghana and Nigeria are at the forefront
currently largely left in the dark. The of dealing with diaspora issues, neither
study produces knowledge and policy have developed an official policy
insights tailored to the specific policy- strategy on diaspora-driven or diaspora-
making needs of the newly formed oriented development. As a result,
diaspora representatives in Africa. The even in targeted policy proposals such
9POLICY BRIEF
as the Poverty Reduction Strategy counterparts in Germany and the US.
Papers (PRSPs), diasporas are not A key finding of this study is that the
considered as partners for development situation in the host country makes a
in the homelands. The same applies to significant difference in the scale of the
those policies developed to meet the diasporas’ development interventions in
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). their respective homelands.
In this regard, although diasporas
have emerged as critical development One way that the international
actors, they still operate outside the development community could address
established development circles in the the urgent need to upscale the capacity
home countries. The same is also true in for diaspora-oriented national policy
terms of practice, as diaspora-initiated strategy in the homelands in Africa
development projects are not at all is to establish an African Capacity-
integrated into development activities Building Facility for diaspora affairs,
implemented by the government at both similar to the African Remittances
the national and sub-national levels. Institute initiated by the European
Commission (EC). Such a facility would
This lack of an official diaspora policy is support African governments to better
not confined only to the homelands. It is harness the considerable social capital
also a challenge that the host countries of the diaspora, assisting them in
studied here, with the exception of developing diaspora-oriented national
UK, are yet to address. For example, policy strategies and helping them
both Germany and the US have not yet to undertake measures that facilitate
formulated a national policy strategy the integration of diaspora-driven
for engaging diaspora organisations development into the overall national
for development purposes. In contrast, development agenda.
the UK government has developed a
diaspora-oriented policy framework
which enables it to pursue policies
that actively support the engagement
of the diaspora in the development of
their homelands. Such existing policy
therefore helps to create a space in
which the diaspora can operate as
critical development actors, both from
within the UK and in their countries of
origin. Thanks to the diaspora-policy
environment in the UK, members of
the diaspora living there are better
placed, in terms of ease of engagement
in homeland development, than their
10Building Institutional How to order
Cooperation between
the Diaspora and Homeland this book:
Governments in Africa
The cases of Ghana, Nigeria,
Germany, USA and the UK US This book is available
through the website of the
African Diaspora Policy Centre
www.diaspora-centre.org
Price: €15 (Postage and
packaging not included)
If you have questions about the
book please feel free to email us
at: info@diaspora-centre.org
Edited by Awil Mohamoud
11“…a timely and authoritative book that is bound to stimulate debate on the contributions of the African diaspora towards the development of both ‘host’ and ‘home’ countries. An important read for policymakers, advocacy organisations and students of migration and development in the European context.” Professor Fantu Cheru Research Director The Nordic Africa Institute “ADPC’s study introduces crucial voices and partnerships into the diaspora and development research agenda. Through this study, we gain the insights of both African and diaspora researchers through partnerships among them. These insights address pressing needs identified from the continent by policymakers there. The result is an essential guide to African diasporans and African policymakers alike who seek to maximise contributions to enhanced quality of life in Africa.” Jennifer Brinkerhoff Professor, Public Administration & International Affairs George Washington University
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