WASHINGTON, DC, December 3, 2007 - World Bank officials, members of Washington’s diplomatic community and about 300 representatives from African Diaspora organizations in the United States and Canada, and African American and Caribbean organizations, gathered at the World Bank on Nov. 29 to discuss increased efforts by the World Bank Group to engage the African Diaspora in aiding development in Sub-Saharan Africa in concert with a strategy outlined by the Africa Union (AU).
The African Diaspora is defined by the African Union (AU) as “consisting of peoples of African origin living outside the continent, irrespective of their citizenship and nationality, and who are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and the building of the African Union”. The AU estimates that the African Diaspora are about: 112.6 million people in South America (primarily Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela); 39.2 million people in North America (USA and Canada); 13.5 million people in the Caribbean; and about 3.5 million people in Europe.
World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region Obiageli Ezekwesili addresses audience members
The event, held at World Bank headquarters in Washington, aimed to highlight the central role of this group in drawing financial and professional resources back to Africa.
Between $4 and $6 billion per year flows back into Sub Saharan Africa as a result of remittances from Africans living outside the continent, according to a 2005 World Bank report.
In opening a dialogue with the Diaspora, the World Bank hopes to increase and target that stream of resources toward development.
“A partnership with Africans in the Diaspora for the continent’s development is essential to enable Africa to increase its capacity to acquire, use, and apply knowledge and increase its access to financial resources,” World Bank Africa Region Vice President Obiageli Ezekwesili said during her speech.
Ezekwesili was joined by Amina Salum Ali, the African Union Ambassador to the United States, and by World Bank Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
The exodus of Africans from the continent has left a strain on the public and private sectors of many countries, which have seen a large percentage of their professional workforce depleted. Statistics show that more than one-third of Africa’s highly qualified professionals currently live abroad.
In some cases, professional groups are more widely represented outside of their home countries. More Ethiopian doctors, for instance, are practicing in the city of Chicago, IL. than in Ethiopia.
Okonjo-Iweala urged members of the Diaspora to take it upon themselves to bring reforms to Africa and advance progress.
“No one is going to develop the continent for us but ourselves,” she said. “We are at the vanguard and if we shy away just because of counter attacks or a few problems or people who are not receptive, then what are we doing? We are giving the continent into the hands of those who don’t want progress .”
Thursday’s day-long meeting included panel discussions and presentations from development experts including the World Bank’s Chief Economist for Africa John Page, Marilou Uy, director of the Bank’s Finance and Private Sector Development Department, Gerard Byam, director of the Operational Quality and Knowledge Services Department at the World Bank, the Ford Foundation’s Ben Afrifa, Rosa Whitaker, president of Whitaker & Associates, Lisa Aubrey, associate professor at Arizona State University and Eric-Vincent Guichard, chief investment officer at GRAVITAS Capital Advisors.
Representatives from African Diaspora organizations attended a day-long workshop at the World Bank
The event was an effort by the Bank to find ways to engage the Diaspora and to support an African Union strategy to exploit the continent’s valuable resources abroad.
“The World Bank is in a very strategic position to assist in the mobilization of the African Diaspora in support of economic development on the ground in Africa,” said Melvin P. Foote, President of the Constituency for Africa (CFA) a 16 year-old, Washington, D.C. based network of organizations, groups and individuals committed to the progress and empowerment of Africa and African people worldwide.
“Engaging the Diaspora in providing technical assistance in Africa may well create the necessary synergy to transform how development will be pursued on the continent in the future.”
Among other initiatives, the Bank announced it will collaborate with the AU in exploring the possibilities for the development of a Diaspora Remittances Investment Fund. Similar to existing funds in Latin America, the fund would leverage remittances to finance Diaspora-led development activities.
The Bank also said it would work with members of the Diaspora to, among other things:
Engage them, in collaboration with African member countries, in the design and implementation of the Bank’s ongoing portfolio of projects in the region;
Form partnerships with multi-national corporations with strong business ties in Africa;
Build on ongoing efforts to provide “virtual” participation that would allow Diaspora members in North America and Europe to connect with groups in the continent.
Work with international donors on a proposed African Diaspora Engagement and Facilitation Fund; and
Support the idea of short, medium and long term placements, as well as the return of Diaspora members, in Africa and promote retention of professional resources on the continent.
The World Bank also hopes to use its engagement with the African Diaspora to strengthen the performance of its extensive portfolio of about US$22 billion in investment and development policy loans in the region.
“We can only imagine how much potential can be unleashed -- and therefore accelerate the growth -- if the necessary human and financial resources can be connected to the things that are being done right now in the continent,” Ezekwesili said.
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