In my almost six months in the motherland, no topic has captured my interest more than that of Diaspora engagement in Africa, and how this population can be better utilized for fostering development on the Continent. In particular, the integration of the African diaspora into the socio-economic and political activities of the Continent, with particular emphasis on skills transfer mechanisms, innovation and entrepreneurship, and the use of remittances sent by Africans abroad for development purposes in their home countries
I guess the big boys in the African political arena must have been at par with me, for little did I know that the African Union had put together the inaugural A.U. Heads of States Diaspora Summit, scheduled to take place in Johannesburg, SA at the end of May. The aim of the conference was to address the same issues and more, that I have mentioned, pertaining to the African Diaspora.
In any case, the event flew under my radar, and I knew nothing of it till the day before. As is common with engagements attended by presidents and senior officials, the registration deadline closed early and by the day before the event, there was simply no possible way of getting in. So, after calling up every contact I knew, and pulling as much strings as I could, on the day of, I was still left without an entry pass to the event. Thus, you could imagine my frustration as I sat in my office, and wallowed in self pity at the realization that I would not be attending, what in my mind was the “super bowl”, of all Diaspora events. However, with firm conviction, I believed having recently relocated from the United States to Africa, I was the embodiment of everything these presidents, senior officials, and interests groups where gathering to discuss – therefore, I needed to be there and hear with my own ears, what they had in store for people like me. Needless to say, at the start of the conference, I was there and had a front row seat (how I pulled it off- you would need to discuss with me over coffee J).
At the conference
The Conference
As an avid fan of politics, the day’s event
commenced with a cacophony of pomp and circumstance. I was on a perpetual high
as I saw up close and personal, African dignitaries who I have only witnessed
before on T.V. Among the highlights of my experience was having a chat with
Jean Ping, Chairman of the African Union; taking the elevator with Thabo Mbeki,
the former President of South Africa; had an amusing chat with current
President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe; intermingled with the Namibian delegation
and meeting their Minister of Foreign Affairs; and translated from French to
English for the delegates from the Central African Republic.
On a more informed note. The conference set
into motion five referred to as “legacy projects”. They are as follows:
· Putting together a skills database — to match the expertise of African professionals in Africa and the diaspora, with the continent’s development needs;
· The creation of an African Diaspora Volunteer Corps – a sort of Peace Corps through which Africans abroad could participate in the continent’s development;
· An African Diaspora Investment Fund – to finance development both in Africa and in the diaspora;
· Establishment of a Diaspora Marketplace for the diaspora – as a framework for facilitating innovation and entrepreneurship between Africa and the diaspora;
· Creating an African Remittance Institute – to channel the remittances of Africans abroad into development.
My Two Cents
All said and done, the mandates proposed and
ratified during the conference sound great in theory. However, I sincerely hope
that they translate into actual concrete projects, and not remain as just
pillow talk. To give the African Union some credit, the organization will be
holding workshops in Abuja, Nigeria this month, to discuss implementation of
the “legacy projects”, especially that of the African Diaspora Volunteer Corps.
The Gambian Delegation – Often mistaken for a Senegalese while in New York
City, you can say I have developed an internal knack for spotting a Senegalese
or Gambian(Sene-gambian) amidst a crowd. While at the conference I bumped into
the delegates who I thought were from Senegal, but to my pleasant surprise,
represented the Gambia. I thus had the pleasure of meeting the Gambian Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Mambury Njie, and the Permanent Secretary as well, Mr.
Habib Jatta. As we all sat down to dinner during the course of the evening, I
must say that I am impressed by the vision which these senior officials have
planned for the Gambia. As we discussed topic after topic, from agriculture, to
foreign direct investments, to education, etc…. the Minister especially, showed
an innate grasp of each issue – in layman’s term you can say “he held it down”.
In short, kudos to countries where the Ministers put country first, this
distinguished group of gentlemen showed that it is not about the size or
resources of a country, but the character of the people who live in it, that
make it great. Based on my conversation, with them, I see a bright
future for the Gambia.
The Somalian Delegation – though my encounter with the Somalian delegation
was brief, I must say they left an invaluable impression on me. All too often
we are exposed to only negative perceptions of what we perceive Somalia to be.
(I don’t need to elaborate, just check CNN…no offense, and you’ll form your
own judgement). However, with much pleasure, I got to meet the Deputy Prime
Minister of the Republic of Somalia., his Excellency Hussein Arab Essa. To my
great surprise, he is also an “African Repatriate”, meaning he lived most of
his life abroad, in his case, the United States, and recently relocated back to
participate in his country’s rebuilding process.
In a couple of minutes he articulated his ambitions for Somalia and the opportunities he saw for his country in the areas of mining, oil and gas, service providing sectors,etc. I was impressed that even at this early stage, as the country emerges from the shadows of war, the interim government is already formularizing and envisioning a prosperous and functioning Somalia. Now if that is not “love of country” I don’t know what else is. Much kudos to their team, I will be rooting for them. I am telling you people – African repatriates back to the continent are doing it, and doing it well
Outside the conference hall
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