Diaspora (Commonwealth Union) _ The African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Union Commission (AUC), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have signed a protocol agreement for $5.2 million in grant financing to enhance investment, human capital, and philanthropic engagement from the diaspora in eight African countries. The agreement, signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, marks the launch of the “Streamlining Diaspora Engagement to Catalyze Private Investments and Entrepreneurship for Enhanced Resilience” (SDE4R) project.
The SDE4R project targets The Gambia, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, Togo, and Zimbabwe. It aims to help these countries mobilize the human and financial capital of the diaspora to support socioeconomic development, revive the domestic private sector, and facilitate recovery from political or humanitarian crises. The project leverages the expertise and networks of diaspora groups to achieve these goals.
AfDB’s deputy director general for East Africa, Dr. Abdul Kamara, emphasized the project’s potential to stimulate business opportunities and provide technical support for socio-economic resilience. The initiative will promote innovative financing tools and skills transfer initiatives, benefiting vulnerable populations, including women, youth, and rural dwellers.
Betty Mupenda Wangozi, acting director of the AUC’s Citizens and Diaspora Organisation Directorate, highlighted the project’s alignment with the AU’s 2063 Agenda and its role in harnessing the diaspora’s contributions to Africa’s development.
Mariama Cisse Mohamed, director of the IOM Special Liaison Office in Addis Ababa, noted the project’s alignment with IOM’s mandate to promote socio-economic development through migration and provide humanitarian assistance. The project is a stepping stone for more comprehensive interventions aimed at diaspora engagement for private sector development.
The SDE4R project is expected to directly benefit 10,000 individuals and indirectly benefit 40,000 more in communities affected by conflict, climate change, and other humanitarian and environmental disasters.
Approved by the AfDB on July 4, 2023, with funding from its Transition Support Facility (TSF), the project will be implemented by the IOM over three years, with strategic oversight, guidance, and advisory from the African Union Commission. This initiative exemplifies a Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus partnership, focused on implementing strategic frameworks and shared priorities.
An estimated 160 million Africans live in the diaspora. In 2021, they remitted nearly $96 billion to the continent, far surpassing the $35 billion in official development assistance received by Africa in the same year. The SDE4R project aims to harness this substantial financial and human capital to drive sustainable development and resilience in the targeted countries.
