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The African Diaspora Union Diaspora
Leadership Roundtable on
Capacity Building
and Collaborative Partnership
African Union Diaspora Legacy Projects
and
The Africa We Want: Vision 2063
A Stakeholder Empowerment Program on the occasion of the US-Africa Summit
Saturday August 9, 2014: 4:00pm to 9:00pm
1401 University Boulevard East, Adelphi, MD 20873
Host Venue: Crystal Restaurant and Lounge An Africa Diaspora Business
For reservation: Respond to africanservices@aol.com
240-706-6885; James Atanis: akjames2000@yahoo.com
Free to registrants for the AU Diaspora Legacy Project Workshop
For a good cause
For others: Three course African Buffet for only: $25.00 and urgent supplies to combat Ebola in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia
Background Information on the African Union Diaspora Legacy Projects
On May 25, 2012, in Standton, Johannesburg, South Africa, the Global African Diaspora Summit concluded with African governments adopting five flagship projects known as the African Union Diaspora Legacy Projects (AUDLP) aimed at strengthening ties with, and the engagements of, Africa Diaspora in Africa's development.
In January 2013 ahead of the 20th African Union Summit that took place on 21 - 28 January 2013 marking the 50th anniversary of African Unity in Addis Ababa, three leaders of Africa's apex bodies: African Development Bank's President Donald Kaberuka, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, and the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Carlos Lopesthe held a two-day high level meeting that took stock of Africa's challenges and achievements in the last 50 years.
More importantly, the leaders discussed how Africa can achieve a more cohesive and coordinated plan of action for the next 50 years, using lessons of the past 50 years to chart a way forward with new thinking, synergies and new ways of engagement. The comprehensive approaches are meant to tackle Africa's multi-dimensional development in order to achieve a peaceful, prosperous and united Continent. At the end of its Summit, the African Union adopted what is known as Vision 2063.
Various forums are held to these effects, for example:
 | | High Level Event II -- Leadership for the Africa we want - Kigali, 21 May 2014 |
What is the Role of Africa Diaspora?
The African Union's Citizens and Diaspora Organizations (CIDO) directorate is responsible for overseeing the engagements of the Diaspora. In response to the CIDO's request for a proposed program alongside the US-Africa Summit in August 2014, the African Union Diaspora Steering Committees embraced the opportunity to address, sensitize and engage a broad-based stakeholder community to under the salient goals, develop networks of leadership and partnership, forge solutions, facilitate their implementation, and develop measurable outcomes on the AUDLP. Consequently, the impact objectives go beyond August 2014.
The research and out-come-based program was inspired by the preliminary African Union Diaspora Legacy Forum held at the Nigerian Embassy on March 29, 2014. CLICK
Vision 2063 expands the scope of stakeholder engagements.
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The five African Union Diaspora Legacy Projects are:
1) African Diaspora Skills Database, 2) Africa Diaspora Development Market for African Development, 3) African Institute for Remittances, 4) African Diaspora Investment Fund and 5, African Diaspora Volunteer Corps.
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 The African Diaspora Skills Database
Africa needs to prioritize African Professional Expertise for Self Reliant Development.
Generally, Continental Africans migrate as students seeking higher education. They subsequently pursue socioeconomic opportunities in the Diaspora. The expatriate population is pulled to the Diaspora to take advantage of economic opportunities. Others flee from insecurity and/or unstable political and socio-economic condition. Whatever the reason, migration of skills and knowledge is a net loss to Africa.
Brain drain is widely recognized as a major impediment to development in Africa. Consider, for example, the following introduction to the Migration for Development in Africa (MIDA) program of the International Organization for Migration (IOM): "Many parts of the African continent are currently affected by a shortage of qualified human resources. Large-scale departures of executives and university graduates have contributed to this shortage.
Research indicates that Continental Africans already residing in the US constitute the most educated population in the United States. This fact is backed by US Census. Similar finding has been made in the United Kingdom, which was published by the Economist. In addition, thousands of African professionals ranging from scientists, accountants, medical doctors, nurses, accountants, engineers, teachers, economists, executive managers, leave Africa each year in pursuits of opportunities abroad.
Without incentives and programs to reverse brain drain to brain gain and circulation in Africa, the net loss heightens the dependency of African economies by compelling them to resort to costly foreign expertise in many areas, which in turn creates a widening vicious circle. (Migration for Development in Africa Program.)
Globalization and instant technology have added to the ease with which African professional knowledge and skills can be deployed in every facet of African development. The task, then, is to engage Diaspora stakeholders in exploring innovative and viable solutions.
 | | AIMS student Kidist wants to end the brain drain from Africa |
The African Diaspora Skills Database involves the systematic identification, compilation, and Cataloging of the professional expertise of individuals. The Data is most useful when categorized to facilitate targeted developments.
For examples" Heath: Epidemiology, Pediatrics, Emergency care, Oncology, Public Health; Information Technology: Infrastructure, security, communication; Agriculture: Agronomy, Animal Husbandry, Marine Acqua-culture; Education: Special Education; Management, Curriculum development. Cataloging skills by disciplines and sub-specialties prevents generalizations that provide information of little practical use.
Brain Gain and Circulation
In order to map, match, and apply skills, targeted regions, countries or institutions may have to identify the sectors where the professional skills are in demand. The approach is cost effective because it ensures that there is demand for a defined expertise and for specified development before the mobilization of the brain gained. This tailored approach to data collection, which is linked to specific sectors, is more valuable than generic mapping.
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African Diaspora Development Market Place
The Africa Diaspora Development is a business-oriented development program that promotes Diaspora Investment Projects and Innovative Entrepreneurial Activities in Africa. The Project provides incentives to Africa Diaspora business owners to enhance quality of life in African communities by introducing new, innovating products and services into the markets and creating jobs to boost the economy.
The Project facilitates financing - from start-ups to small and medium sized enterprises with high impacts, including social entrepreneurs with innovative solutions to society's most pressing social problems.
The new concept of social entrepreneurship has added-benefits. Rather than believe the government should address all problems or that free markets can address all the business ills, social entrepreneurs address development needs problems by changing the system, disseminating best practices through user-friendly, understandable, and ethical ideas that persuade stakeholders to embrace change.
Some examples: SEKEM, a name that essentially means "vitality from the sun," an Egyptian company founded in 1977 by Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish, a pharmacologist, has:
- Produced medicinal, herbal, gastronomical and aesthetically focused products that serve the needs of customers
- Improved the environment through biodynamic farms
- Built an educational establishment for children to emphasize creativity and analytical thought
- Instituted a healthcare center devoted to holistic medicine.
David Kuria in Kenya created high quality sanitation facilities accessible to the urban poor by connecting sanitation as part of the dignity of living in community. He includes the community in the design, construction, and management of the facilities.
Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka in Uganda is linking Uganda's wildlife management and rural public health programs to create common resources that benefit both people and animals.
Haron Wachira combines the production, co-ownership of agricultural businesses, and retooled value chains, Haron Wachira has created a surprising win-win scenario for subsistence farmers and agro-processing businesses in Kenya. This is impressive not only because of the unlikely partnerships formed, but because it improves the management of agricultural sector in East Africa.
Please also read the Forbe's list for more examples: Click
The market includes all sectors: from the Agro-industry/food security; Manufacturing; Construction; Transportation; Biotech; Information, Communications Technologies; to social sectors such as Education; Water; Energy, Sanitation; Health, etc. as long as they are sustainable and profitable or with potentials for profitability. The business owners must demonstrate their relationship to Africa.
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The African Institute for Remittances (AIR) is scheduled to go into full operations in 2015 and hosted in Kenya. In addition to reduced costs, the fees can be used to support developments in Africa.
Studies show that African Remittances to African countries are second only to foreign direct investment and surpass all official development aid. Examples of reports: eNCA, BBC, This is Africa
Remittances to Africa has grown remarkably in recent years, estimated at $60 billion annually, which is a conservative estimate and perhaps half of the actual amount as noted by analysts who compiled the official report. It is estimated that between 50-75% of African Remittances are sent through informal sources that are not tracked.
The magnitude of the Remittances, which is more than the combined cash flow from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to Africa, has gained the attention of the international development community due to the positive impacts on the standard of living of the beneficiaries.
However, the transfer cost remains unacceptably high by international standards. One of the consequences is that the full potential for economic and social development is largely unrealized. For example, while South Asians pay an average of US$6 for every $100 they send home, Africans often pay more than twice that amount. Using South Africa as a citation, which has the highest remittance costs on the continent, nearly 21 percent of money designated for the needs of families back home is spent on the cost of the money getting there.
With millions of Africans depending on Remittances from family members abroad for their economic survival, health, and education, the high cost of transactions undercuts the impact that African Remittances can have on poverty reduction.
How can AIR be operated more effectively and efficiently as an African-owned entity in the public sector? What are the means through which members of the community can send money through AIR? What are the advantages, which include reduced cost of transactions and using Remittance fees as development tools for poverty reduction? These are some of the vital avenues to explore with solutions.
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African Diaspora Investment Fund
The Power of African Transnationalism Beyond Remittances
Arguably, the new and emerging Continental African community constitutes Africa's greatest offshore asset.
A brief background
Transnational communities are populations that emerge from migration and maintain unbroken mutual interaction with the land of origins, which could be local, national or continental-wide. Both the migrants and subsequent generation non-migrants perpetuate a common identity, organize around common causes or projects, sustain close cultural, social and economic ties with one another, and constantly exchange news, resources. The social networks facilitate the dynamics of transnationalism and "alter the social context within which subsequent migration decisions are made, typically in ways that make additional movement more likely" (Massey 1993:451). "
Transnationalism is not new. From the 1900s, European immigrants returned to their home countries or remained active in the political and economic affairs of their homelands from their posts abroad. The Hispanics, Jews and Asians followed the pattern and research indicates the impacting contributions they are making on the economies of their respective places of origin.
Like the above communities, Continental Africans are not typically "return immigrants." Rather, they capitalize on their stay abroad to create social assets, build socioeconomic bases such as acquiring properties, bank accounts, and contacts that they use to explore economic opportunities in both the country in which they migrated to and in Africa where they have families and maintain strong, primary ties, including homes. Traveling to and fro is a very common aspect of transnationalism and dual identities.
What is new is the ease of transportation, instant technology, communication, that foster various methods and significant roles that immigrant-oriented communities play in the labor market in Africa and the policies that the African Union and governments can put in place to encourage the population's enduring long-distance engagements in Africa. Best practices exist in other transnational communities.
While the networks may overlap with each other in formal ways, they do not necessarily have to be formal in order to sustain their transnational character and contributions. The substantive content of the organizations strongly reinforces a distinct, African-oriented identity.
In increasing numbers that require studies and documentation, African Hometown, Alumni and Professional Networks (A-HAPNs) and other mutual aid associations are funding projects in Africa that range from micro-enterprises; educational scholarships; health education; to social infrastructure developments such as clinics, schools, water projects, libraries, amenities for populations facing special challenges, etc.
The African Union and governments can prioritize and maximize the social, economic and technological transformations in Africa that A-HAPNs are making as they combat the circle of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, health decline and assorted underdevelopment in communities.
The African Diaspora Development Fund also addresses the financial and operational capacities of organizations. This will enable practitioners to increase their effectiveness, reduce informal practices, and maximize the impacts of the development projects they are implementing in Africa.
Continental Africans as Financiers of Africa's Growth: The Africa Diaspora Bond
Beyond Remittances, the migrant wealth of Continental Africans has enormous potentials for funding larger scale projects in the public sector through the African Diaspora Bond.
The African Diaspora Bond is a sovereign bond that can be issued by the country to its Diaspora members as an alternative to borrowing from the international capital market, multilateral finance institutions or bilaterally from non-African institutions and governments.
Based on a report published by the African Development Bank Group entitled: Diaspora Bonds in an African Context,
Continental Africans save up to an annual estimated
of
$53 billion in destination countries. It is estimated that Diaspora Bonds can produce $17 billion a year of Continental African financing.
With a sense of patriotism, directs ties in Africa, and the incentive of reasonable rates, this Project can attract sufficient investors. The proceeds can be used to finance long term projects such as dams, housing, transportation systems as well projects that are popular in the Diaspora.
Some countries have started issuing the Africa Diaspora Bond. Read more: Click
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African Diaspora Volunteer Corps
Not everything that counts can be counted. And not everything that can be counted, counts." - Albert Einstein
The African Diaspora Volunteer Corps nurtures the passion to serve and the commitments through locally-inspired projects/causes in Africa that improve lives and communities, which can also be in partnerships in Africa Diaspora organizations. Volunteers can harness their talents, transmit their knowledge and share experiences as well as learn from the communities through cross-cultural exchange, and increase their understanding of Africa. The opportunity can also serve as internship for young persons to gain hands-on, practical training that are employable.
In deed, the African Diaspora Volunteer Corps positions stakeholders to master the development of the Continent in unique and innovative ways. How can stakeholders bring fresh enthusiasm, cost effective, and creative ways to volunteer in Africa in mutually benefiting and sustainable development? This is an example of an inquiry to develop ideas, reduce barriers, and facilitate the implementation of solutions.
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The Formats: The interactive formats will include Presentations; Handouts; Question & Answers; Illustrations of Best Practice; Break-out sessions on each Legacy Project; Luncheon Networking; Post-workshop feedback.
The Goals:
The goals of the African Union Diaspora LEGACY PROJECT Workshops are:
 1) Provide reliable information on the 5 African Union Diaspora Legacy Projects to a diverse stakeholder community.
2) Identify incentives and opportunities for stakeholders.
3) Document Diaspora capacities on the 5 African Union Diaspora Legacy Projects.
4)) Identify constraints or access barriers that hinder effective participation by stakeholders.
5) Explore viable solutions, including policies, that may facilitate the implementation of the respective African Union Diaspora Legacy Projects at local, state, regional and continental levels.
6) Identify key enablers in order to facilitate outreach to stakeholder groups
7) Promote exchange of good practices.
The specific objectives are to:
 Improve awareness on the respective Africa Union Diaspora Legacy Projects in order for stakeholders to take advantage of timely opportunities.
Strengthen the organizational capacity of organizations to deliver programs that achieve positive impact through competent support services.
Improve the ability of Diaspora-owned small and medium enterprises to spur entrepreneurial innovations in Africa through equitable access to information and services.
Enhance the organized and coordinated abilities ofAfrica Diaspora to take leadership on African development and policies.
Recommend to the African Union solutions, ideas, policies that reduce or remove constraints on the ability of Diaspora organizations and businesses to have timely access information, courtesy services and assistance in implementing projects at local, state, regional and continental levels.
Improve the use Africa Diaspora capacities to inform evidence-based policies in US-Africa developments.
Improve stakeholders' knowledge on critical instruments for implementing each of the Legacy Projects such as government policies, financing frameworks, incentives.
Develop baseline data, benchmark and targets that measure the progress of Africa Diaspora organizations and businesses in achieving positive impacts in Africa's development.
Support for the African Union Diaspora Legacy Projects will provide resources for capacity building, policy-relevant research, outreach education, and advocacy and publication.
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For more information on the the programs, please call:
240-706-6885 or email:africanservices@aol.com. You email will be directed to the appropriate coordinator by Mr. James Kadjemes
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