Diaspora Networks at Work in SADC

Prof Jonathan Crush, Director, Southern African Research Centre, Queen’s University and Honorary Professor, University of Cape Town

Presentation to Conference on “Africa’s New Frontier: Innovation, Technology, Prosperity” Ottawa, 4 February 2010

Outline of Presentation

1. Diaspora Networking 2. Dimensions of African Diaspora in

Canada 3. Building Canadian-African

Knowledge Networks 4. Conclusions

1. Diaspora Networks

Diasporas are defined less by what they are than by what they do and, in principle, “what they do” consists of building networks over national borders (UNESCO 2009).

1. Diaspora Networking

Diaspora networks and associations of migrants have come to stand at the centre of the optimistic visions ofnational and international economic development policy (Faist 2008)

African global networks provide one social institution that “translates the experience of increased global integration into a language that makes some sense to a wide range of

Africans living in a diffuse set of locations” (UNESCO)

Diaspora networks are the latest “bridge institutions” connecting developing economy insiders to outsiders in command of knowledge, technical know-how and investment capital (World Bank)

Some Forms of Diaspora Networking

Migrants are using IT – email, forums, blogs, websites, social networking – to get and stay connected with their countries of origin. However, forging a network and consolidating its capacity for collective action over time requires more than just being connected (UNESCO).

Creation of global networks by African countries to “reach out” to diasporas for development (e.g. South African Network of Skills Abroad (SANSA).

Creation of networks within diaspora to work for development in Africa (e.g. Global South Africans – a network of the “1000 best minds”)

National networks (country-country e.g. GhanaWeb) or country-continent (e.g. ADAC)

Business associations e.g. Canada-South Africa Chamber of Business Social networking groups e.g. Facebook Groups (South-Africans in Canada,

Mauritians in Canada, Zambians in Canada etc), LinkedIn (e.g. Canada-South Africa Fellowship)

Knowledge networks – partnerships between Canadian diaspora and African organizations and networks

2. Dimensions of African Diaspora in Canada

Some studies of particular country diasporas (e.g. Canada-Ethiopia (AHEAD), Canada-Ghana)

Need for larger picture and profile of the African diaspora in Canada as a whole. Numbers are significant and growing.

North Africa91,99429%

Southern Africa88,82029%

East and Central Africa85,12228%

West Africa41,54914%

African ‘Migrant Stock’ in Canada: 307,000

Top 12 source countries make up 75% of African migrant stock in Canada

South

Africa

Egypt

Mor

occo

Algeria

Kenya

Somali

a

Tanza

nia

Ghana

Ethiop

ia

Ugand

a

Nigeria

DRC0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

Top 12 African Source Countries to Canada

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

4000037681

19960

102016720

41862501 2380 1950 1035 911 430 305 200 195 165

SADC Migration to Canada

Migrant stock (first generation): 88,000. Large number of professionals, highly skilled.

Study in Progress of SADC Diaspora by SAMP (Southern African Migration Program) – Canadian-African research and policy network – funded by IRC

Aims of Study

Generate a Profile of the SADC diaspora in Canada

Degree and types of engagement of members of the diaspora with Africa (e.g. remitting and investment behaviour, skills and knowledge transfer)

Identification of enhanced opportunities for government-diaspora partnerships in promoting African development

Activities Census and immigration data to build socio-economic and

demographic profile

Data base of diaspora organizations and activities (international – ADAC; bilateral – AHEAD; community – ‘Help Lesotho’, ‘c4L’, ‘Women for women’)

Data base of diaspora social networking groups (e.g. web groups, Facebook groups, Linked In groups)

Survey of individual diaspora members – profile, migration experience, linkages, participation in diaspora organizations/activities, remitting behaviour, likelihood of return (http://www.queensu.ca/samp)

Accessing the Diaspora Through Social Media

09/04

/2009

09/24

/09

10/14

/09

11/03

/2009

11/24

/09

12/15

/09

01/06

/2010

01/18

/2010

01/27

/2010

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

Respondents Over Time

3. Building Canadian-African Knowledge Networks

Institutional networking as means of enhancing the role of the diaspora in development

Diaspora academics in Canadian universities forging institutional networks with African universities, NGOs, governments

African Food Security Urban Network (AFSUN)

CANADA -

QUEENS (LEAD)RYERSONCALGARYGUELPH

UWO

CIDAPARTNERSHIP

BRANCH

POLICY

Municipal Development Partnership (MDPESA)South African Cities Network (SACN)

COMMUNITY

Care Southern AfricaFood and Trees for AfricaIdasaABC Ulwazi

SOUTH AFRICA – Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg

UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN (LEAD)WITS UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU NATAL

BOTSWANA – GaboroneUNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA

LESOTHO – MaseruNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO

MALAWI – BlantyreUNIVERSITY OF MALAWI

MOZAMBIQUE – MaputoEDUARDO MONDLANE UNIVERSITY

NAMIBIA – WindhoekUNIVERSITY OF NAMIBIA

SWAZILAND – ManziniUNIVERSITY OF SWAZILAND

ZAMBIA - LusakaUNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA

ZIMBABWE - HarareUNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

TRAINING / RESEARCH

AFSUN Aims & Objectives Establishing partnerships between Canada and Africa and between

different African countries to promote a comparative perspective on urban food security and a coordinated regional response;

Building individual and organizational capacity within African institutions to respond to the challenges of urban food insecurity;

Providing policy advice and facilitating policy dialogue between researchers and policy-makers at the international, regional, national and municipal levels;

Equipping municipal officials in African cities with the tools to understand and respond to the policy challenges of urban food security in their cities;

Capacitating community change agents to design, implement, monitor and evaluate projects and programmes that will enhance the food security of urban populations

• http://www.afsun.org

Conclusions Knowledge about African diaspora networks within

Canada and connecting Canada to Africa is limited

Diaspora networks are a potentially strong actor in development and governments need to engage with and support these networks and their activities

The potential of social media networking as a development “agent” need further exploration

Diaspora knowledge networks and network partnerships have great potential for supporting development initiatives in Africa