Enabling Diaspora Engagement in Africa: Resources, Mechanisms and Gaps Case Study: Ethiopia A study by The Association for Higher Education and Development (AHEAD) May 2007 Ottawa, Canada Study conducted by Bathseba H. Belai Enabling Diaspora En gagement in Africa: Resources, Mechanisms and Gaps Case Study: Ethiopia A study by The Association for Higher E ducation and Development (AHEAD) May 2007 – Ottawa, Canada Study conducted by Bathseba H. Belai © 2007 – AHEAD ISBN 978-0-9783113-0-8 Foreword In introducing the Association for Higher Education and Development (AHEAD) to the Ethiopian public through a communiqué published in Addis Tribune in 2000, we made the following bold statement: “The purpose of [our activities] is not about the past. It is about the future. It is not about mistakes; it is about corrections. It is not about who is wrong and who is right. It is about lessons learned. It is not about failed duties, it is about paying back our country. It is not about brain drain, it is about reversing it. Our long-term objective is to coordinate and channel the resources, expertise and creativity of Ethiopians in the Diaspora toward development efforts in the motherland.” AHEAD was thus established to contribute towards development efforts in Ethiopia by mobilizing, coordinating and channeling the necessary resources and relevant expertise to Ethiopian higher academic institutions. In addition to the programs that it runs in support of this mandate, AHEAD also seeks to mobilize Ethiopians in the diaspora and facilitate their contributions to, and role in, development undertakings in Ethiopia. One of the tools available to AHEAD to mobilize Ethiopians in the diaspora to contribute to the capacity building efforts of the country is the conduct of studies and research work, in order to identify how and where diaspora efforts could better contribute to Ethiopia's development. To this end, it may be recalled that AHEAD, with the support of Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), conducted a study (Semantics Aside: The Role of the African Diaspora in Africa's Capacity Building. Case Study: Ethiopia (October 2004)) inspired by the growing awareness among Ethiopian diaspora communities of their role in the capacity building efforts of their country of origin – Ethiopia. Not unexpectedly, the findings of our first research could be summarized into two elements: that there was a role for the diaspora in the capacity building efforts of Africa; and, that the diaspora was willing to play its role in this effort. To this, we were able to add the willingness of the States in Africa to welcome the contribution of the diaspora in their efforts for capacity building. However encouraging the findings of the research were, they raised more questions than that they could answer, including one lingering question: what mechanisms are available – in both home and host countries – to facilitate diaspora engagement? Participants of an AHEAD Stakeholders Roundtable held in November 2004, which included a number of State Representatives from African States and scholars specializing in diaspora and development issues, were unanimous on the need for a follow-up study which would seek to answer the above. In response, AHEAD undertook the present research which aims to provide a critical review of mechanisms that have been established to facilitate diaspora engagement in African development in general, and Ethiopian development in particular. The study, conducted by Bathseba H. Belai, was made possible through the financial support of IDRC. In presenting this research, which encompasses studies from a wide range of fields that impact on diaspora engagement in home country capacity development, it is our hope that diaspora members interested in contributing their skills, knowledge and remittances to their country of origin will find valuable information that would help them to do so, as will the Government of Ethiopia in its efforts to refine its diaspora engagement strategies and activities. It is also our wish that Host States such as Canada will find valuable information which would enable them to help facilitate the contribution of their diaspora citizens towards the development of their countries of origin. The study, in our opinion, opens avenues of cooperation for the common good between diaspora members, their home countries and their countries of origin, with the support of relevant African and international organizations. AHEAD May 2007 Ottawa, Canada Research Participants Funding Agency International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Research Organization Association for Higher Education and Development (AHEAD) Researcher Bathseba H. Belai Editor Clyde Sanger Collaborating Organization Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) Logistical Support in Ethiopia BT Costantinos and Africa Humanitarian Action (AHA) Workneh Assefa, AHEAD representative in Ethiopia Acknowledgements This research project was made possible thanks to the generous support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) which has been a leading Canadian institution in facilitating a serious dialogue about the African diaspora and its role in the development efforts of Africa. A previous AHEAD study, Semantics Aside: the Role of the African Diaspora in Africa’s Capacity Building (Case Study: Ethiopia), also supported by IDRC, has made a considerable contribution in generating a dialogue on this subject at different important forums. It is, therefore, with special thanks, that we say IDRC has been behind the incremental progress AHEAD has made in bringing forth this subject for serious discussion. Our compliments go to IDRC for being a champion of an idea whose time has finally come. Our very special thanks to Gisèle Morin-Labatut, Senior Program Specialist, Canadian Partnerships, Program and Partnership Branch at IDRC. The role played by Gisèle in bringing the diaspora voice to IDRC, and beyond, cannot be overstated. At a time when this subject was almost unknown, we were lucky to have found Gisèle, an officer with insight, integrity and full of challenging ideas. We wish to express our sincere appreciation to the researcher, Bathseba H. Belai, for a study of remarkable quality. We would also like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Clyde Sanger for his kind assistance in copy-editing this study under extremely tight time constraints. We also wish to thank our partners, the Network of Ethiopian Women’s Association (NEWA) and the Africa Humanitarian Action (AHA), for the cooperation and support provided to AHEAD and the researcher in carrying out the Ethiopian component of the research. AHEAD Ottawa May 2007 The researcher would also like to express her personal appreciation to the following persons who have been instrumental to the successful conduct of the study. First and foremost, I am most grateful to all AHEAD members for providing me the opportunity to work on an issue as timely and important as is diaspora engagement in the capacity development of the African continent in general and that of Ethiopia in particular. Thank you for believing in me and for your unwavering support, patience and care throughout the research. I would also like to express my profound appreciation to Gisèle Morin-Labatut who has consistently provided me support beyond the call of duty, taking great care to ensure that I kept abreast of all developments relevant to the research and readily extending her assistance every time I needed it. I owe an immense debt of gratitude to Tsega Haile Belai whose moral and practical support in the latter stages of the research was central to its good completion. Thank you for the countless hours put in collecting and organizing information, your assistance with drafting the paper, the invaluable insights shared as well as for your patience and steadfast support throughout the entire process. I would also like to thank Christopher Smart and Caroline Pestieau for the time taken to help me clarify and strengthen the research proposal as well as for contacts and many useful ideas and suggestions provided as the project progressed. The key part of the research for this paper was conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where I benefited enormously from the time, openness and help of a number of people. In this regard, I would especially like to thank BT Costantinos and Guebray Berhane for their kind assistance and support in assembling relevant material, facilitating meetings with key interviewees as well as for generously sharing their insights on diaspora-related issues in the Ethiopian context. I am particularly grateful to all those who participated in interviews and meetings, both in Ethiopia and in Canada, and whose various perspectives on diaspora engagement in national development efforts uniquely enriched the present study. The time that each participant has taken to share thoughts and experiences on diaspora issues is greatly appreciated. A special mention goes to various representatives of the Ethiopian government for the genuine interest expressed in this study as well as for the candid views shared on various matters related to Ethiopian development over many discussions. Bathseba H. Belai Montreal May 2007