Could you tell us more about yourself?
I am originated from Somalia, my family was moving a lot and I obtained my first degree in Delhi, India. Later on, I was awarded a scholarship from the Dutch Government and moved to Holland to study in one of its universities. At that time migration had another face, there were no big movements of people fleeing war, crisis and instability. People moving abroad were mainly young students looking for scholarships and studies. I have since completed my PhD in the Netherlands, have obtained the Dutch nationality and decided to stay.
What are the dynamics of the African diaspora in The Netherlands?
First, there is a relatively small number of people from the African diaspora in The Netherlands. Now, we count around 200 000 migrants from the sub-Saharan region and not all of them are engaged in development actions in Africa. In addition, the geography, the difficult access to job market and the language barriers are among the factors that hinder the growing number of Africans in the country. Also, the general atmosphere in Netherlands has significantly changed because of the arrival of the rights in power. The new political reconfiguration has negatively influenced development and aid cooperation policies and affected the work of migrant associations and NGOs working in the field, significantly reducing funding opportunities.
We are working hard to produce policy-oriented knowledge and research and share it with Governments from origin and destination countries.
Why and how the ADPC was created?
The African Diaspora Policy Centre was founded in 2006, at the time when the Dutch Government led on an open migration and development policy and was interested in research and knowledge sharing in this field. We are working hard to produce policy-oriented knowledge and research and share it with Governments from origin and destination countries. For instance, we are running the Diaspora Academy programme aimed at building capacities and skills of diaspora members from all around Europe in lobbying and advocacy. So far, we have trained more than 1000 migrant organisations engaged in development activities in Africa. In addition, we are doing research and capacity building for African countries and regional organisations in need of specific diaspora skills and expertise. We are covering topics, such as migration governance, brain drain, remittances, diaspora engagement, etc. Since 2006, we support African governments in shaping policies by providing specific expertise and knowledge.
Diaspora has a lot of potential, but also a lot to do to make the continent a prosperous environment.
What the African diaspora could do to boost the development of the continent?
Diaspora has a lot of potential, but also a lot to do to make the continent a prosperous environment. One of the most important things is to get together and create diaspora platforms at the level of each EU country to have a united voice and have an impact. We have to constantly look for building new partnerships with local governments, but also with other diaspora organisations and private sector. We live in an interconnected world and only together we will be able to succeed. We should do more lobbying and advocacy at the local level to be able to bring changes and move the red lines.
As with regards to African governments, pretty much of them have recognised the importance of engaging diasporas in developing migration policies. However, despite the willingness and good intentions, they are often lacking capacities, skills and resources. This is where and why diaspora expertise and contributions are vital to African governments.
How can we involve more diaspora youth in the development of the continent?
Young generations are demanding, passionate and innovative. They have skills, knowledge and willingness to be useful and they want to be heard. However, often they lack specific knowledge about the field of development in order to get involved, create and run NGOs and associations. The programmes like Diaspora Academy are in place to help them get necessary information and knowledge to become the real agents of change.
For more information about the ADPC, visit the web page: https://www.diaspora-centre.org/
