Diaspora and Development in the Francophone World · Global Voices
The diaspora of the developing countries worldwide is often mentioned by development experts as a potential driving factor for poverty reduction and the francophone region is no exception. In fact, two conferences are taking places in the upcoming months in Cameroon and Mali about the role of diaspora in supporting development in their respective countries [fr]. Still, the current suggested policies to promote more involvement from the diaspora are not without controversies and require more channels to facilitate collaborations between all development actors (local NGOs, private sector, international agencies and government).
<PERSON> outlines the goal of the conference in Mali and how they foresee the diaspora contributing to development in Mali [fr]:
Le Forum Tremplin propose de rencontrer sur leurs stands des entreprises et cabinet de recrutements du Mali, d'Afrique et de France dans les domaines de l'informatique, la banque-assurance, les
industries pour le compte d'entreprises (reconnues), en tout 200 emplois (seront disponibles)
The Forum Tremplin offers a gathering place for companies and recruiting agencies in Mali, Africa and France in the fields of information technology, banking, insurance and other industries for renowned companies. In total, 200 positions (will be available)
The Original African Diaspora by WhiteAfrican- Under CC License
In Cameroon, the conference that will take place in Yaounde from August 11-13th 2010, wants to draw inspiration from diaspora from other African nations [fr]:
Sous le thème, “La diaspora camerounaise, un véritable acteur du développement”, il sera question pour les participants, de chercher les voies et moyens pour amener la diaspora camerounaise à s’impliquer davantage dans le processus de développe­ment économique du pays. 165
Pour le MECAM, « à l’instar des pays comme le Mali ou le Sénégal, où l’on sent une réelle implication de la diaspora dans le développement économique, la diaspora ca­merounaise qui apporte déjà beaucoup, le fera davantage dans un cadre réglemen­taire »
The theme of the conference is “The Cameroonian diaspora, a true agent of development”. The idea is for all participants to find ways and means to bring the diaspora into committing further in the economic development of the country. According to the MECAM (Ministry of Economy and Commerce): just like in Mali or Senegal, where one can feel a true engagement by the diaspora in the economic development, the Cameroonian diaspora is certainly already bringing a lot to the table, but it would be able to do more within the regulated structure.
Global Net Emigration Map by WorldMapper.org – CC license
In Senegal, <PERSON> believes that for the Diaspora to effectively help the country, a focus on education and intellectual exchange to augment the knowledge capital and reach the tipping point towards development is key [fr]:
Tout ce challenge doit se faire dans un environnement propice au progrès et aux débats d’idées en associant les universitaires et chercheurs vivant en Afrique. Il peut s’agir de créer des masses critiques, des regroupements ou des pôles d’excellence pour le décollage de l’Afrique.
The challenge is that all of this must happen in an environment that is favorable to progress and to the exchange of ideas and engage scholars and researchers who reside in Africa. It is about reaching a critical mass of centers or hubs with top-notch quality of ideas for Africa to take off.
In a presentation on knowledge management in Morocco, <PERSON> stresses out that there are specific know-hows on grid computing and supra-conductivity the Moroccan diaspora have acquired that they should voluntarily offer to share with others back home [fr]:
faire appel aux différentes compétences de la diaspora marocaine, pour accomplirdes missions, sur place et /ou à distance, en appui ou dans le cadre des programmes de développement de leur pays d’origine, sur la base du volontariat et d’un engagement déontologique. 165