What we do……………
Diaspora
part of the
Picture –
Not the picture
Human
Resource
- Skills
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 African’s in
Africa
 Diaspora
↓ Expats
Mobilisation
Foreign Direct
Investments
Engagement of
all
stakeholders
at policy and
operational
level
Remittances
Investment
…………….Build Links, Establish Partnership
Background
Human Resources/Skills
Remittances/Investment
 5 Human Resource (HR) forums
 Healthcare mobilisation forum
 Conducted in-depth surveys of Brain
drain
 Developed a regional wide HR ENewsletter
 Database of Skills, Advertised over
12,000 jobs in 5 years
 3 International career/recruitment fair’s
inside and outside Africa
 Return of over 500 Africans in the
Diaspora/year and retained skills within
Africa
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4 Diaspora Investment/Consultative
Forum’s
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
"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
BENEFITS DEPENDENCY NETWORK
Individually necessary, collectively sufficient
Transnational
working
From Paper
to E working
Timely flow
of pertinent
information
Employers
HR best
practices
Broader
view of
planning
Joint up
working
PPNGOD
Policy
incentives e.g.
Tax, Citizen
passport etc
Programmes
Enabling
Changes
Global yet
local search
“Knowledge Management”
Findajobinafrica
Healthcare
Investors; Mailing list
New streamlined
processes using
ICT
Increased investment
Success
Stories, Africa
“the brand”
Soft landing
packages
repatriates skills
business
Links inside and
outside Africa
Main streaming
Diaspora products,
packages & services
Business
Changes
Baseline
data
Skilled
labour force
Improved choice
Greater access to
up to date skills
“Technical know how”
Local yet Global
Harness and Enable
increased
productive capacity
Alternative FDI
Benefits
Information
Regional and
Global
Remittances
&
Investment
Objectives
D
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Linkages
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Mobilise – information technology and other modern
communication techniques to collate and disseminate
information about opportunities (in and outside Africa
Inform- provision of relevant and practical information
Engage -Diaspora to play responsible roles in rebuilding
their country
Positioning- platform
Recommend- promote reforms or practices in Africa
make it more attractive for professionals and technocrats
to consider pursuing careers or business
Showcase- Success stories to convince and energise all
stakeholders
Feedback- inside and outside Africa at all levels
Remittances and Investment
 Average remittances/Investment a month $300 US
dollars a month
 Sustenance Remittances – Household sustenance such
as housing, schooling and health
 Investment Remittances – Small-Medium-Micro
Business (28%);Real Estate (24%); Capital Market
(19%); Other (27%); Private Equity/Venture Capital
(12%)
 Success stories of Diaspora Investors as Ex Diaspora or
Transnational Citizens – wealth and job creation!
Examples- Aviation; Agriculture; Information Communication
Technology; Capital Market; Real Estate; Mining; Health;
Education: Communications-Media e.g. Nigeria Movie; Fast
Moveable Consumer Goods; Money Transfer
Organisations;Nigeria Stock Exchange (500 million US$/year)
Examples of Diaspora Investors- Individuals
Rwenzori Coffee
Ex- Diaspora
Pro Resolve
Software – Ex
Diaspora
Ark View Group of
Sabo Foodscompanies- Transnational Transnational
Unleashes the
potential of
partnership
between growers
and consumers
Employment over
1,000 farmers
Build stakeholder
communities
Training in best
practices
Social well being
e.g. orphanages,
health and
education
projects
Developed 9 software
applications marked
across Africa
Off-shore software
development
contracts for
companies in USA
and parts of Europe
Employed 19 staffs
from Liberia, Ghana,
Ivory Coast and
Cameroon
“Changed the lives of
19 young Africans”
5 dental clinics in the UK
employing 20 Dentist and
30 supporting staff –
transferring best practices
Aviation industry runs
direct flights to Cameroon
and national and regional.
Employs 20 staff
Telecomm and rubber
business in LiberiaEmploys 20 staff
“We believe that change
was imminent even during
the war and acted as a
source of hope”
Export from Africa
ethnic food
productswholesale
distributor opened
up the market for
the products in
Europe in response
to the increasing
demand from the
Diaspora.
Employ 10 staff in
the UK
Links with
business across
Africa
Opportunities for wealth creation and economic empowernment
Examples of Diaspora Investors- Organisations
International Organisation
for Migration
Foundation IntEnt
African
Government
Initiatives
The Ghana Nationals
Association of Modena based in
Italy – supports several
cooperation development
initiatives in Ghana e.g.
Children’s school, Tour
packages and created a fruit
Enterprise in Ghana
Set up a special dedicated fund
generated by remittances
Assisting migrants to
set up business in
their country. Of
origin, through
training, counselling,
facilitation of market
research and
mediation to obtain
banking financing
Special initiatives and
incentives to enable
Diaspora Investment
e.g. acquisition of
land; matchmaking
with local
organisations;
Missions as a link
“Our research shows us that Africans want to increase investment in Africa. While
African governments have put in place various policies to facilitate investment by
large multinationals, little has been done to enable the inflow of investment from
private individuals. We are keen that Africans in the Diaspora are recognised as key
players and key investors” – AfricaRecruit
Challenges and Opportunities
Challenges
Opportunities
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Start up capital- many personal funds examples
over £ 1 million raised with personal assets and
networks
Sufficient information to make an informed
decision ( No =47%)
Political instability e.g starting flights to DRC
UK laws prohibit airlines going to Kinshasa
Formalising the informal
Infrastructure for financing
Access to funding or grants
Beaucracy and corruption
Lack of Knowledge of the local markets
Ineffective systems
No "One stop shop" no central point
Lack of technology and qualified human
resources
Market information gap
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To harness an untapped and ready
made market and clients
E-commerce
To extend the supply chain globally
To attract investors to part’s of the
country or nations that foreign
investors may not seek to invest
To direct investment into non
traditional business sectors e.g.
Education, Health
To harness grassroots business
To harness micro credit and attract
“unbankable” members of the public
To create products and services
joined up between the host and
sending countries attracting many
more customers
Facilitating Skills and Knowledge Transfer
• All African nationalities based inside and
outside Africa
• Experts based inside and outside Africa
• All industry represented on the database
• Users professional work experience
range from 0-25 years
Total 188,000 plus
• Users include public, private
and non-governmental sector
covering job vacancies in all
African countries e.g. An
organisation that provides
management and capacity
building services to African
businesses, particularly Small
and Medium Enterprises;
Growing bond market
• Voluntary, Consultancies,
Contract and Permanent
• Over 500 Diaspora returned
annually and many more skills
engaged on an adhoc basis
Challenges and Opportunities
Challenges
Opportunities
• Lack of skills in critical area
• Maintaining status in the
Diaspora while contributing to
development in Africa
• Managing expectations of all
stakeholders
• Effective assimilation of Diaspora
• Changing dynamics- Ex Diaspora
vs. Current Diaspora
• Lack or poor access to ICT
• Aggressive and Commercial
recruitment agents for the West
• Demand from the West
• Strategic thinking to enhance the
synergy between skills and
economic policy, link skills
strategy with trade and industry
and provide opportunities for
innovation
• Develop a regional wide skills
development agency
• Mobility of skills regionally
• HR administrators vs. HR
architects
• Skill transfer including
opportunities to self-employed
African’s
Recommendations- Government 1 of 2
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Effective Government and corporate partnerships
Provide stable political and economic enabling conditions
Technical assistance grant to the Diaspora
Attractive business start-up incentives such as low tariffs/
reasonable loans
Efficient market system, efficient transport system,
documentations and banking facilities
Culture or attitude that welcomes investment and trade
Lean regulatory and administrative framework
Investment guarantee measures
Tighter corporate governance, mechanisms for credible
governing and monitoring
Soft landing packages e.g. tax breaks or incentives (Non
Resident Ghanaians at Ghana Investment Promotion Centre)
Government’s to act as 3rd party insurance for Diaspora
Debt forgiveness or protection of naturalisation/citizen
Recommendations- Government 2 of 2
 Receiving countries to explore ways to harness remittancesHome Link Zimbabwe
 Host countries to explore how to harness investment by
Diaspora
 Employment laws to incorporate skills transfer and local
capacity building incentives
 Development of regional wide skills strategy e.g. entrepreneurial
 Soft landing packages e.g. Packages
 More awareness of the various incentives and packages- online
and offline e.g. Nigerian Diaspora Day in Nigeria
 Harnessing the role the Missions play as a source of update
information
 Ensure they work in partnership with the private and
development sector, to make skill transfer easier including
opportunities to self-employed African’s
 Provide incentives that encourage transparency and good
governance
Factors to consider in Policy
formulation
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Fostering an understanding of the Diaspora by the Donor and host
countries facilitating a process that will harness their capacity to
effectively engage in programmes in their countries of origin e.g.
labour and migration laws, tax concessions
Enhancing circular migration e.g. debt forgiveness; sabbatical and
long leaves encouraged and facilitated
Build strategic partnerships between other host countries and
sending countries e.g.African governments to enable transglobal
policy enhancers
Work with international and multilateral organisations to address the
constraints on public spending- decent employment opportunities in
the healthcare public sector
Move from bilateral to multilateral agreements- UN level as cohesive
integrated action is required
African governments to adopt policies that enable assimilation of the
critical skills deployed back from the Diaspora
Recommendations- Business
 Awareness of products, services and job opportunities
 Use remittance/Investment channels to harness micro creditPost Bank Kenya,home link Zimbabwe, United Bank for Africa
 Increased involvement of the private sector in particular the
financial sector to develop policy, create more packages and
incentives to encourage formal flows of remittances
 Closer cooperation between the private, public and civil
society sectors
 Increasing partnership with Diaspora Investors- South Africa
Association of Investors
 Engaging Diaspora in global supply chain lines- Diageo Africa
 Understanding the investment needs of the Diaspora
 Providing transparent information on investment
opportunities
 Bridge the perception gap
Recommendations- Diaspora
 Seek information
 Collective engagement
 Sensitivity and awareness of changes
 Tap into “here and there” competitive advantage
 Use of formal channels for remittances
 Be Informed
 Added value
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Role of the Diaspora- to add value in…
Skills..Knowledge
 Volunteering by the
Diaspora
 Secondment
 Mentorship
 Permanent
 Virtual
 Internship
 Exchange
Sustenance…Investment
 Remit using formal channels
 Greater understanding of the
impact of remittances/FDI to
Africa as a continent
 Invest in various options
Wealth creation in the
Diaspora
 Seek opportunities for
entrepreneurship, investment
and partnerships
 Lobby host governments for
policy enhancers
..partnership with African’s in Africa