Somalia

The Somali AgriFood Fund is a seed capital investment matching fund, which targets the succesful Somali diaspora in the United States, Canada, European Union and Australia, matching their interest to invest with small and medium enterprises in agribusiness in Somalia on fishing, agriculture, food processing, packaging, cold storage facilities, and livestock.

The Mixed Migration Monitoring Mechanism Initiative (4Mi) of the Mixed Migration Centre is a low-cost and innovative practices to collect and analyse data, initially out of the Horn of Africa, through mobile phone applications and community-based reporting. Through a network of thirty locally-recruited monitors in strategic migration hubs in Northern, Eastern, and Southern Africa, Southern and Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, the 4Mi project tracks Eritrean, Ethiopian, Djiboutian and Somali people on the move.

Somalia is experiencing a remarkable recovery from decades of war and instability. Moving forward it is essential for the country to develop a strong and sound financial system which is up to international standards in terms of  efficiency, transparency and regulation. One key element of the Somali financial system is mobile money. Mobile money allows Somalis to store money, as well as to receive and make payments. This is a major development for a country that lacks a strong currency, remains unsafe in many regions and in which 90% of the population does not have a bank account.

Three Somali regions (Somalia, Somaliland and Puntland) have mainstreamed migration into their respective Health Sector Strategic Plans January 2013 – December 2016. There is recognition of the great reliance of the public health system on contributions from by bilateral donors, UN agencies, and NGOs, which are nevertheless short-term interventions. Similarly, diaspora contributions to human resource development are acknowledged; in some cases it is noticed that skills are concentrated in a few young well-trained staff from the diaspora.

Based on original research conducted in Somaliland, Puntland and South/Central Somalia, as well as in multiple cities (mainly Dubai, London, Minneapolis, Nairobi, Oslo, Toronto) with a high concentration of Somali diaspora members, this report examines the motivations of diaspora support, the factors that influence it, the means and mechanisms by which it is mobilized and transferred to Somalia and the ways in which local Somali actors put the support they receive to use.

IOM's MIDA program, launched in 2001 and operating in eleven African countries, supports the short or longer term (or virtual) return of expatriate skills to key sectors. In each country, a multi-sectoral MIDA Steering Committee is set up, with the aim of greater coherence within the governments. The networks of participants strengthen interactions between origin and destination countries, which may stimulate further returns and development projects involving diaspora and/or the productive use of remittances.

There is little support for students and entrepreneurs in regions affected by conflict, the climate crisis or displacement. Even when education is available, it is hard, if not impossible, for motivated, talented young people to access the labour market. Spark has 25 years of experience in develops higher education and entrepreneurship for young people in conflict and post-conflict zones, allowing them to develop a cross-sector approach that opens up pathways to employment for potential entrepreneurs.

This objective is to make diaspora investment and remittances more productive and effective and to connect western markets and emerging markets.

The Diaspora Business Centre is a one stop shop that combines business and social interests, paired with professional know-how by diaspora experts.

Their activities entail the following:

Policy Framework and Objectives

The Temporary Return of Qualified Nationals (TRQN) programme enables the Diaspora of the targeted countries to contribute to the reconstruction and development of countries of origin. The objective of the programme is to contribute to the reduction of poverty and to stimulate economic development by strengthening the institutional capacities of both public and private organisations.