What we do

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What we do

Mobilisation

• ? Africans in
• Africa
• ? Diaspora
• ? Expats

Engagement of all stakeholders at policy and
operational level
.Build Links, Establish Partnership
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Background
Human Resources/Skills Remittances/Investment
5 Human Resource (HR) forums Healthcare mobilisation forum Conducted in-depth surveys of Brain drain Developed a regional wide HR E-Newsletter Database of Skills, Advertised over 12,000 jobs in 5 years 3 International career/recruitment fairs inside and outside Africa Return of over 500 Africans in the Diaspora/year and retained skills within Africa 4 Diaspora Investment/Consultative Forums Conducted in-depth surveys of over 3,000 Diaspora on remittances and Investments Facilitated and supported numerous Diaspora investment/business conferences in Europe/North America Showcase success stories
"When AfricaRecruit was launched in 2002, I
provided an endorsement in the firm belief that
its objectives were not only noble but also
realizable. Since then, the initiative has
performed creditably and become a key part of the
NEPAD programme to mobilize quality skills for
Africa. H.E. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, President
Federal Republic of Nigeria
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BENEFITS DEPENDENCY NETWORKIndividually
necessary, collectively sufficient
D R I V E R S
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Linkages

• Mobilise information technology and other
  modern communication techniques to collate and
  disseminate information about opportunities (in
  and outside Africa
• Inform- provision of relevant and practical
  information
• Engage -Diaspora to play responsible roles in
  rebuilding their country
• Positioning- platform
• Recommend- promote reforms or practices in Africa
  make it more attractive for professionals and
  technocrats to consider pursuing careers or
  business
• Showcase- Success stories to convince and
  energise all stakeholders
• Feedback- inside and outside Africa at all levels

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Remittances and Investment

• Average remittances/Investment a month 300 US
  dollars a month
• Sustenance Remittances Household sustenance
  such as housing, schooling and health
• Investment Remittances Small-Medium-Micro
  Business (28)Real Estate (24) Capital Market
  (19) Other (27) Private Equity/Venture
  Capital (12)
• Success stories of Diaspora Investors as Ex
  Diaspora or Transnational Citizens wealth and
  job creation! Examples- Aviation Agriculture
  Information Communication Technology Capital
  Market Real Estate Mining Health Education
  Communications-Media e.g. Nigeria Movie Fast
  Moveable Consumer Goods Money Transfer
  OrganisationsNigeria Stock Exchange (500 million
  US/year)

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Examples of Diaspora Investors- Individuals
Rwenzori Coffee Ex- Diaspora Pro Resolve Software Ex Diaspora Ark View Group of companies- Transnational Sabo Foods- Transnational
Unleashes the potential of partnership between growers and consumers Employment over 1,000 farmers Build stakeholder communities Training in best practices Social well being e.g. orphanages, health and education projects Developed 9 software applications marked across Africa Off-shore software development contracts for companies in USA and parts of Europe Employed 19 staffs from Liberia, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Cameroon Changed the lives of 19 young Africans 5 dental clinics in the UK employing 20 Dentist and 30 supporting staff transferring best practices Aviation industry runs direct flights to Cameroon and national and regional. Employs 20 staff Telecomm and rubber business in Liberia- Employs 20 staff We believe that change was imminent even during the war and acted as a source of hope Export from Africa ethnic food products- wholesale distributor opened up the market for the products in Europe in response to the increasing demand from the Diaspora. Employ 10 staff in the UK Links with business across Africa
Opportunities for wealth creation and economic
empowernment
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Examples of Diaspora Investors- Organisations
International Organisation for Migration Foundation IntEnt African Government Initiatives
The Ghana Nationals Association of Modena based in Italy supports several cooperation development initiatives in Ghana e.g. Childrens school, Tour packages and created a fruit Enterprise in Ghana Set up a special dedicated fund generated by remittances Assisting migrants to set up business in their country. Of origin, through training, counselling, facilitation of market research and mediation to obtain banking financing Special initiatives and incentives to enable Diaspora Investment e.g. acquisition of land matchmaking with local organisations Missions as a link
Our research shows us that Africans want to
increase investment in Africa. While African
governments have put in place various policies to
facilitate investment by large multinationals,
little has been done to enable the inflow of
investment from private individuals. We are keen
that Africans in the Diaspora are recognised as
key players and key investors AfricaRecruit
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Challenges and Opportunities
Challenges Opportunities
Start up capital- many personal funds examples over 1 million raised with personal assets and networks Sufficient information to make an informed decision ( No 47) Political instability e.g starting flights to DRC UK laws prohibit airlines going to Kinshasa Formalising the informal Infrastructure for financing Access to funding or grants Beaucracy and corruption Lack of Knowledge of the local markets Ineffective systems No "One stop shop" no central point Lack of technology and qualified human resources Market information gap To harness an untapped and ready made market and clients E-commerce To extend the supply chain globally To attract investors to parts of the country or nations that foreign investors may not seek to invest To direct investment into non traditional business sectors e.g. Education, Health To harness grassroots business To harness micro credit and attract unbankable members of the public To create products and services joined up between the host and sending countries attracting many more customers
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Facilitating Skills and Knowledge Transfer

• All African nationalities based inside and
  outside Africa
• Experts based inside and outside Africa
• All industry represented on the database
• Users professional work experience range from
  0-25 years
• Total 188,000 plus

• Users include public, private and
  non-governmental sector covering job vacancies in
  all African countries e.g. An organisation that
  provides management and capacity building
  services to African businesses, particularly
  Small and Medium Enterprises Growing bond market
• Voluntary, Consultancies, Contract and Permanent
• Over 500 Diaspora returned annually and many more
  skills engaged on an adhoc basis

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Challenges and Opportunities
Challenges Opportunities
Lack of skills in critical area Maintaining status in the Diaspora while contributing to development in Africa Managing expectations of all stakeholders Effective assimilation of Diaspora Changing dynamics- Ex Diaspora vs. Current Diaspora Lack or poor access to ICT Aggressive and Commercial recruitment agents for the West Demand from the West Strategic thinking to enhance the synergy between skills and economic policy, link skills strategy with trade and industry and provide opportunities for innovation Develop a regional wide skills development agency Mobility of skills regionally HR administrators vs. HR architects Skill transfer including opportunities to self-employed Africans
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Recommendations- Government 1 of 2

• Effective Government and corporate partnerships
• Provide stable political and economic enabling
  conditions
• Technical assistance grant to the Diaspora
• Attractive business start-up incentives such as
  low tariffs/ reasonable loans
• Efficient market system, efficient transport
  system, documentations and banking facilities
• Culture or attitude that welcomes investment and
  trade
• Lean regulatory and administrative framework
• Investment guarantee measures
• Tighter corporate governance, mechanisms for
  credible governing and monitoring
• Soft landing packages e.g. tax breaks or
  incentives (Non Resident Ghanaians at Ghana
  Investment Promotion Centre)
• Governments to act as 3rd party insurance for
  Diaspora
• Debt forgiveness or protection of
  naturalisation/citizen

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Recommendations- Government 2 of 2

• Receiving countries to explore ways to harness
  remittances- Home Link Zimbabwe
• Host countries to explore how to harness
  investment by Diaspora
• Employment laws to incorporate skills transfer
  and local capacity building incentives
• Development of regional wide skills strategy e.g.
  entrepreneurial
• Soft landing packages e.g. Packages
• More awareness of the various incentives and
  packages- online and offline e.g. Nigerian
  Diaspora Day in Nigeria
• Harnessing the role the Missions play as a source
  of update information
• Ensure they work in partnership with the private
  and development sector, to make skill transfer
  easier including opportunities to self-employed
  Africans
• Provide incentives that encourage transparency
  and good governance

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Factors to consider in Policy formulation

• Fostering an understanding of the Diaspora by the
  Donor and host countries facilitating a process
  that will harness their capacity to effectively
  engage in programmes in their countries of origin
  e.g. labour and migration laws, tax concessions
• Enhancing circular migration e.g. debt
  forgiveness sabbatical and long leaves
  encouraged and facilitated
• Build strategic partnerships between other host
  countries and sending countries e.g.African
  governments to enable transglobal policy
  enhancers
• Work with international and multilateral
  organisations to address the constraints on
  public spending- decent employment opportunities
  in the healthcare public sector
• Move from bilateral to multilateral agreements-
  UN level as cohesive integrated action is
  required
• African governments to adopt policies that enable
  assimilation of the critical skills deployed back
  from the Diaspora

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Recommendations- Business

• Awareness of products, services and job
  opportunities
• Use remittance/Investment channels to harness
  micro credit- Post Bank Kenya,home link Zimbabwe,
  United Bank for Africa
• Increased involvement of the private sector in
  particular the financial sector to develop
  policy, create more packages and incentives to
  encourage formal flows of remittances
• Closer cooperation between the private, public
  and civil society sectors
• Increasing partnership with Diaspora Investors-
  South Africa Association of Investors
• Engaging Diaspora in global supply chain lines-
  Diageo Africa
• Understanding the investment needs of the
  Diaspora
• Providing transparent information on investment
  opportunities
• Bridge the perception gap

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Recommendations- Diaspora

• Seek information
• Collective engagement
• Sensitivity and awareness of changes
• Tap into here and there competitive advantage
• Use of formal channels for remittances
• Be Informed
• Added value

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Role of the Diaspora- to add value in
Skills..Knowledge
SustenanceInvestment

• Remit using formal channels
• Greater understanding of the impact of
  remittances/FDI to Africa as a continent
• Invest in various options Wealth creation in the
  Diaspora
• Seek opportunities for entrepreneurship,
  investment and partnerships
• Lobby host governments for policy enhancers

• Volunteering by the Diaspora
• Secondment
• Mentorship
• Permanent
• Virtual
• Internship
• Exchange

..partnership with Africans in Africa