Diaspora Empowerment and Engagement

In countries of origin, innovative ways of transnational engagement proved to be efficient to face the health crisis, In Somalia, for instance, health professionals from the diaspora have provided technical support to hospitals in their communities of origin. This new project unveiled by the IOM  in Somalia is part of a continuing effort to address this health care delivery shortage. It uses video cameras, screens, personal computers and digital mobile devices such as tablets to enhance diagnosis and treatment of patients.

The Philippines with one of the largest populations of migrant workers in the world, repatriated over 200,000 distressed and stranded Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) and Overseas Filipinos (OFs) when the pandemic hit, and brought to life its approach of ‘high-tech, low-touch’. Existing tech platforms and databases were used as well as social media to share information with migrants in need of support across the world.

As individuals and organizations in localities across the globe mobilize to support those displaced by war, conflict, and climate disasters, meeting immediate needs of migrants and refugees is critical. At the same time, building the infrastructure needed to support and engage migrants and broader communities in the long term is essential to ensure strong life outcomes beyond the initial welcoming period.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has set aside July 25 of every year as national diaspora day in recognition of the contributions of Nigerians in diaspora towards national development.

In 2023, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) and the University of Ibadan (UI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of the Centre of Excellence for Diaspora Studies.  The Centre is to serve as Africa Diaspora Resource Research Centre, and it will be managed by the Diaspora and Transnational Studies Unit of the Institute of African Studies.

In 2019, Ghana successfully hosted The Year of Return, Ghana 2019, a year-long programme of activities to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first recorded enslaved Africans in the State of Virginia in the United States.

These activities included visits to heritage sites, healing ceremonies, theatre and musical performances, lectures, investment forums and relocation conferences. The aim was to promote Ghana as a tourist destination and investment opportunity as well as to encourage resettlement in the motherland for the Africans in the diaspora. 

At COP27 (2022), Tuvaluan Minister Simon Kofe announced that Tuvalu will become the First Digital Nation: that it would digitally recreate its land, archive its rich history and culture, and move all governmental functions into a digital space.

Rising Nations Initiative and German Archaeological Institute will create an online repository and presentation platform of culture & heritage for the benefit of the Tuvaluan people and the pan-Pacific community, as well as researchers and the global public.

The project is funded by the Federal Foreign Office. 

 The repository will reunite, in one virtual place, digital representations of Tuvalu’s existing tangible and intangible cultural heritage — heritage which is threatened by anthropogenic climate change and sea-level rise.

The pilot phase of MSDG was implemented from  August 2017 to December 2018, during which a Gambian Diaspora Strategy (GDS) was developed and incorporated in the Gambia National Development Plan (NDP 2018-21).

Zimbabwe’s National Diaspora Policy provides for a comprehensive national framework to formally mainstream the diaspora into national development processes. It aims to develop measures to enhance protection of Zimbabweans abroad, and establish mechanisms for the transfer and repatriation of terminal, pension, and social security benefits for retired returnees through conclusion of bilateral labour agreements with host countries.