LUNGU’S DELIVERED DIASPORA POLICY

IT WILL undoubtedly go down as part of President Edgar Lungu’s legacy. Zambia’s Diaspora Policy has effectively paved the way for citizens living abroad to invest back home and participate in their country’s development without hindrance.

In the last two months the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been engaging citizens living abroad through virtual meetings, explaining how the implementation of the policy is being rolled out and how they can benefit.

Online

So far, the Zambian missions in the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia have held successful online meetings under the new normal in the face of the Covid 19 pandemic.

Long overdue

The policy is long overdue. Zambians living in foreign countries have since 1964, when the country became independent, faced formidable hurdles whenever sending money back home to support their relatives, invest in business or property or simply save for the future.

Even just renewing important national documents such as the national registration card (NRC), a passport or driver’s licence has been a long, frustrating and costly process which sometimes requires travelling back home.

Before the policy was launched last year, there had been no framework for the diaspora to access important public services expeditiously.

It is for this reason that after he was sworn in as Zambia’s republican president in January, 2015 President Lungu pledged to ensure that Zambia had a comprehensive diaspora policy during his tenure of office.

During his interactions with Zambians living abroad the President assured them that he would not rest until the policy became a reality under his watch because he wanted all citizens to participate in the development of their country without discrimination regardless of where they were.

Manifesto

In chapter 27 of its pro-poor 2016-2021 Manifesto, under International Relations and Cooperation, the Patriotic Front (PF) party pledges to “develop a diaspora policy to enable Zambians living in the diaspora to participate in national development”.

The policy is now a reality, tucked away in the bag of the campaign promises the party has delivered to the magnanimous people of Zambia who put it in power.

Vice President Inonge Wina officially launched the Diaspora Policy on April 4, 2019 at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka. During the launch Mrs Wina urged Zambians living abroad to project a positive image of their country at all times and invest back home.

Mrs Wina challenged the Zambians to market their country as an investment destination of first choice.

At the same occasion Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Malanji described the Zambian diaspora as an economic force whose potential should be harnessed.

Since its launch the policy’s implementation has gathered significant momentum.

The actualisation of the policy marks a milestone in Zambia’s development agenda. Little wonder the document has been lauded by the international community. International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Chief of Mission Marianne Lane congratulated the Zambian government for launching the policy.

The diaspora can’t wait to reap the benefits.

Two months ago the Zambian Mission in London, UK, hosted the first virtual conference with Zambians living in that country. Zambia’s High Commissioner to the UK Paul Mihova hailed the forum as a “success”.

High levels of engagement and frank, insightful discussions characterised the online meeting.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs permanent secretary Chalwe Lombe, who is passionate about the policy’s success, is at the helm of its implementation. Using a video link, Ambassador Lombe took Zambians living in the UK and Australia through the whole process - formulation, validation, adoption and launch. He highlighted what the policy aims to achieve for both the nation and the individual citizen abroad.

Ambassador Lombe explained that the policy was developed to facilitate and mobilise an effective framework for active, coordinated and coherent system for the diaspora’s unfettered participation in the socio-economic agenda of the country.

He shared the difficulties he faced as a young Zambian studying abroad because of the absence of a diaspora policy.

“I remember as a young student in Australia. When I completed [my studies] the Australian government offered me residence. I was confused. How do I handle this? How do I handle my citizenship? There was no framework,” he said.

But no Zambian living abroad will have to go through such stress again.

Inclusive process

The Diaspora Policy is a product of protracted consultation that sought to reach out to all the country’s diaspora, culminating into the indaba held between October 7 and 9, 2016 in Zambia.

Representatives of the Zambian diaspora from different parts of the globe participated in the whole process up to the launch. The government also worked with the IOM.

The policy has 13 objectives out of which six have been isolated for immediate implementation in the initial phase. They include:

• Access to national documents (such as NRCs, passports and certificates of title for property)

• Knowledge and skills transfer

• Administration, which in general looks at all the documentation and helping the diaspora when they are in a particular situation and they need help from the government.

To facilitate this process diaspora desks are being established at Zambian missions abroad to serve as seamless links between the diaspora and the public service system back home.

Currently, about 10 percent of all tertiary educated Zambians live outside Zambia, according to the World Bank.

Findings of recent research show that the diaspora makes a significant contribution to the gross domestic products (GDPs) of their home countries through remittances (money sent back home).

For example, remittances to sub-Saharan African countries in 2018 contributed substantially to the GDPs of these nations. International money transfers grew by almost 10 percent to US$46 billion, according to the World Bank’s latest Migration and Development Brief.

President Lungu is determined to ensure Zambia benefits from this rich source of revenue. Besides remittances he wants the diaspora to also own companies, acquire land for agricultural production, build commercial and domestic property and participate in governance processes.

The President has fulfilled his promise to deliver a diaspora policy.