Modupe Adefeso October "Effective strategies of African Diaspora in African-European Business 13 th International Metropolis Conference Mobility, Integration and Development in a Globalised World

“Diaspora must be perceived in very positive light as an effective integrating force to be reckoned with, and a key driver for sustainable development … “AfricaRecruit “The African Diaspora have long contributed to developing capacity in their country of origin, through activities such as setting up facilities, institutions and conferences. However, it is crucial that better use is made of their enormous potential. Commission for Africa 2

Overview of the African Diaspora 3

Who is the African Diaspora?  Live in one place which may or may not be home, and identify another place as “home”  Diversity of background factors.  Nationality  Parentage  Descent – migrant and slave trade era  Heterogeneity “People of African Origin living outside the continent, irrespective of citizenship and nationality and who are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and building of the African Union” - African Union 4

Africa’s greatest offshore asset…  75% had postgraduate qualifications*  54% left Africa for career and professional development* Other facts  At least 1 out of every 35 persons worldwide is a member of the Diaspora  Every African country has a pool of highly skilled personnel in diaspora *Source: 2006 AfricaRecruit Survey of 3,000 plus African Diaspora 5

Africa’s greatest offshore asset… AfricaRecruit survey of over 600 African diaspora (2008)  73% - further tertiary degrees  85% - additional qualification to improve career prospects  69% - gainfully employed 6

Africa’s greatest offshore asset… Diaspora Contribution*  5-10% of GDP in some countries  Invest over $5billion a year  Over $45billion remitted annually *AfricaRecruit’s findings from documented research between 2004 and 2006 Well-managed migration is hugely important because of the links it establishes between countries’ International Development Select Committee (UK Parliament) Findings

Contribution in a vast array of industry sectors  Finance/Business  Health  Technology  The Arts  Education  Sports  Consumer goods  Charity etc 8

The Africa Recruit Example 9

AfricaRecruit Enabling best practice Surveys, Seminars, Analysis Think Tank Findajobinafrica.com Enabling Skills Mobility and Knowledge Transfer Africa Diaspora Enabling Remittances And Investments New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Commonwealth Business Council Commonwealth Secretariat Capacity Building with Diaspora as one of the drivers for development "AfricaRecruit one of The New Partnership for Africa's Development’s (NEPAD) big achievements in just 4 years" The Journey So Far NEPAD Secretariat June 2005 AfricaRecruit 10

Who we are  Was formally launched in 2002, as an offshoot of established in  Was launched as a mobilization programme - a joint project of the NEPAD, Commonwealth Business Council with the Commonwealth Secretariat a joint partner March 2005  Mobilizes skills and human resource capacity building in and outside of Africa. It also mobilizes the African Diaspora towards capacity building in Africa either through skills or investment or harnessing the capacity of remittances 11

What we do  Raises global awareness about the need for human resource/skills development in Africa by addressing the continent’s skills and capacity gaps  Advocates for policies that help to develop Africa’s human resource capacity  Formulates and implements practical programmes that help to reverse Africa’s brain drain or capitalizes on the African Diaspora’s social and financial capital  Provide technical assistance to individuals and organisations involved in Africa’s human resource development 12

What have we done Human Resources/SkillsRemittances/Investment  5 successful Human Resource (HR) forums  Healthcare mobilisation forum  Conducted in-depth surveys of Brain drain  Regional wide HR E-Newsletter  Diaspora E Newsletter  Database of Skills, Advertised over 20,000 jobs in 6 years  3 International career/recruitment fairs inside and outside Africa  Return of over 3000 Africans in the Diaspora/year and retained skills within Africa  Influenced policies and operational change  5 Diaspora Investment Forums  Conducted in-depth surveys of over 3,000 Diaspora on remittances and Investments  Facilitated and supported numerous Diaspora investment/business conferences in Europe/North America  Showcase success stories  Successfully advocated for changes at governmental and operational level "When AfricaRecruit was launched in 2002, I provided an endorsement in the firm belief that its objectives were not only noble but also realizable. Since then, the initiative has performed creditably and become a key part of the NEPAD programme to mobilize quality skills for Africa.“ H.E. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President Federal Republic of Nigeria 13

What have we done Examples  Facilitated in the dissemination of information e.g. African Regional Office of the International Council for Science (ICSU ROA) Regional Consultative Forum, Call for Diaspora representation on regional Agricultural Executive Board  Advocacy and lobbying at various governmental and business levels inside and outside Africa on the role the Diaspora are playing  Submission and evidence to the UK government leading to the development of Send Money Home a remittance harnessing programme  Supporting various Diaspora events "When AfricaRecruit was launched in 2002, I provided an endorsement in the firm belief that its objectives were not only noble but also realizable. Since then, the initiative has performed creditably and become a key part of the NEPAD programme to mobilize quality skills for Africa.“ H.E. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, President Federal Republic of Nigeria 14

African Diaspora Contribution to Business in Europe 15

What do the Diaspora bring to the table?  Provide the ‘Third’ perspective  Aid development agenda via investment in the UK and remittances to home countries*  Provide revenue for Europe via national income contributions, charitable giving  Provide a pool of skills for Europe  Majority of Diaspora that legally filter through tough immigration policies are usually the highly skilled or very experienced According to Mr. Peter Munga (2006) Chairman Equity Bank Kenya, ‘global workers remittance has become a major source of development finance’ 16

 Serve as resource providing intelligence and advisory services to public and private sectors  Investment  Diaspora Engagement Strategies  Development  Conflict – survival and recovery  Entrepreneurship  Establish businesses that create jobs  Provide revenue for education sector via expensive international student fees and poor access to access to loans What do the Diaspora bring to the table? 17

Lessons Learnt 18

Effective strategies – the how –Identification Who are we? What do we bring to the table? –Network Establishment Stems from what do we want to achieve Who do we need to engage with –Engagement (multiple levels) Policy – government Private sector Civil society 19

–Substantial investment in foreign education –Understanding of business climate in Africa Socio-cultural issues Political issues Effective strategies - the how 20

Spheres for Improvement 21

Create win-win scenarios –Harnessing diaspora capital (financial, intellectual, social) and provide the with strategic opportunities Encourage, support and reward Diaspora innovation and contribution –Creation of new businesses Foster beneficial partnerships –Closer cooperation between the private, public and civil society sectors –Provide transparent information on investment opportunities Engage Diaspora in global supply chain lines Role for the business sector 22

 Employment opportunities  Ongoing skills development/training  Lift barriers to effective engagement – the glass ceiling  Incentives Role for the business sector 23

Conclusion 24

Conclusion  African diaspora are a huge resource for business in Europe  Some of the greatest potentials lie untapped  Potential is apparent in face of changing global financial climate  Emerging markets  Strategic opportunities It's not what you've got, it's what you use that makes a difference.’ Zig Ziglar 25

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