WASHINGTON, October 13 2008: A Consultative Meeting on “Mobilizing the African Diaspora for Development” was held Sonday with African governments, Africa Union, the African Development Bank, USAID, IFC, France and other donor partners at the World Bank during the 2008 Annual Meetings. The meeting was chaired by Ms. Obiageli Ezekwesili, the World Bank’s Vice President for the Africa Region.
The vice president urged African ministers to take concrete steps to create room for the participation of the Diaspora in their national sectoral development programs, such as in health, education, energy, and agriculture. She called on African governments to “recognize even more the importance of creating enabling environments to truly mobilize the Diaspora and leverage their contributions to national development through remittances and virtual or real return programs and work on Diaspora policy frameworks”.
Ezekwesili said the Bank would offer support to governments “where there is a clearly demonstrated demand and country ownership” through, for example, robust but selective analytical advisory activities, and consultations on Country Assistance Strategies. The Bank’s financial team is already working on reducing the cost of remittances and improving data on remittance flows to African countries. Assessment work is underway in several countries, for example, Uganda and Nigeria. The Diaspora is involved in selected Bank lending operations — a tourism project in Ethiopia is currently under preparation.
The deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mr. Erastus Mwencha, observed that the AU considers the Diaspora its sixth constituency and the organization has created space for the Diaspora in its governance structure. “They have a place at the table and a voice,” he said. Together with the Bank, the AU is working to identity key sectors in which the Diaspora can participate.
The President of the African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka, underscored the support his organization is giving to the initiative. He highlighted a study of the role and impact of remittances that the African Development Bank, with support of the French government has undertaken. “Reducing transaction cost and volatility embedded in remittances is crucial,” he said. He announced that his organization is looking into how the economic slow down in the developed world might affect remittances to Africa.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
