By Hendrix Lifuna
“The Kenyan Diaspora should be represented in parliament as recognition of their contribution towards the country’s economy,” said Kenya’s Vice President, Kalonzo Musyoka recently.
The Kenyan Vice-President said amidst thunderous applause that foreign exchange remittance by the Diaspora increased by 27 per cent from $350.9 million to $475 million.
He said that the dual-citizenship provision in the new constitution should assure Kenyans abroad that they still have a role to play in the development of Kenya.
Mr. Musyoka urged Kenyans in East London or wherever they are in the Diaspora to lobby their MPs in changing the law so that a provision of a special Diaspora MP seat could be created to accommodate those living away from home into local leadership and politics.
While Zambia remains trapped in arguments on dual citizenship, Kenyans on the other hand have moved a step ahead and now want a Diaspora MP.
Zambians are yet unable to grasp the idea while our fellow African countries including Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda have dual citizenship and are benefitting economically from this arrangement.
Zambians abroad remitted a staggering US$300 million to Zambia in 2010 according to the figures collected by the United Nations (UN). This amount dwarfs any form of foreign-aid or Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Zambia receives in a year.
In a three-year period, this amount comes to almost US$1 billion. Not too long ago Britain committed to increase its foreign aid to Zambia to about £230 million for a period of three years.
That is equivalent to the US$1 billion remittance for the same period by Zambians in Diaspora casting light on the rationale behind the resistance by the government to adopt the dual-citizenship arrangement.
Chairperson of the Zambia-Canadian Association, Chasaya Sichilima, who has lived out of Zambia for 20 years, beginning with 13 years in England and the other seven in Canada, urged the Zambian Government to utilise its citizens in the Diaspora as they had the capacity to contribute a lot more than the FDI coming into the country.
He said Zambians living abroad did not necessarily need to be back in Zambia physically as they could contribute while being away.
He explained that one of the chief reasons people acquired citizenship when they migrated was that it became easier for them to stay in those countries and have access to loans and certain jobs which they would not if they were merely residents.
‘‘We want a shift where the President and the Government begin to recognise and make efforts to ensure that the Diaspora becomes a prominent force.
‘‘We actually should be given the incentive to contribute even a lot more than foreign investors because our hearts are in Zambia, our minds are in Zambia,” he said.
Mr Sichilima said Canada had made vast developments in many fields because it had harnessed the skills of people from different parts of the world.
On the issue of dual nationality, Mr Sichilima said: “It should have been done, like yesterday. That’s how late we are. We have, as a country, lost out on our own people who have gone to apply their skills elsewhere.”
A lot of Zambians, he said, were willing to help but needed a platform that could make them get more rebates than those offered to foreign investors.
He cited Kenya as one country that had put in place a Diaspora Act which made it a lot easier for people to invest or acquire land and, as a result, the country was getting a lot more money from its nationals abroad than what came in from foreign investors.
Mr Sichilima advised the Government to consider opening Diaspora desks in all foreign missions to help Zambians access investment information without having to take a flight back home.
Around 2006, Ghana received about $6 billion in remittances from the Diaspora in sharp contrast to $400 million in 2002, a year before dual citizenship was espoused and the figure was expected to increase.
Former World Bank country representative to Zambia, Kapil Kapoor, said Indians living in the Diaspora were making a significant contribution to that country’s economy.
‘‘It started from a realisation that the Diaspora are able to convey large sums of money which can be used for development. That’s twice the amount of all the money that donors provide developing countries. There’s a lot of attention that is focused on cooperating partners and donors. The Diaspora remits more than twice the amount,” Dr Kapoor said.
With President Michael Sata having appointed a 20-member Technical Committee to draft the constitution it remains to be seen whether the group would consider the dual citizenship clause as proposed in the Mung'omba draft report, one document Mr Sata has directed the team to refer to.
The economic benefits of dual-citizenship are there. For example a total amount of US$250 billion was remitted in 2007 from the Diaspora from all parts of the world.
“The Kenyan Diaspora should be represented in parliament as recognition of their contribution towards the country’s economy,” said Kenya’s Vice President, Kalonzo Musyoka recently.
The Kenyan Vice-President said amidst thunderous applause that foreign exchange remittance by the Diaspora increased by 27 per cent from $350.9 million to $475 million.
He said that the dual-citizenship provision in the new constitution should assure Kenyans abroad that they still have a role to play in the development of Kenya.
Mr. Musyoka urged Kenyans in East London or wherever they are in the Diaspora to lobby their MPs in changing the law so that a provision of a special Diaspora MP seat could be created to accommodate those living away from home into local leadership and politics.
While Zambia remains trapped in arguments on dual citizenship, Kenyans on the other hand have moved a step ahead and now want a Diaspora MP.
Zambians are yet unable to grasp the idea while our fellow African countries including Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda have dual citizenship and are benefitting economically from this arrangement.
Zambians abroad remitted a staggering US$300 million to Zambia in 2010 according to the figures collected by the United Nations (UN). This amount dwarfs any form of foreign-aid or Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Zambia receives in a year.
In a three-year period, this amount comes to almost US$1 billion. Not too long ago Britain committed to increase its foreign aid to Zambia to about £230 million for a period of three years.
That is equivalent to the US$1 billion remittance for the same period by Zambians in Diaspora casting light on the rationale behind the resistance by the government to adopt the dual-citizenship arrangement.
Chairperson of the Zambia-Canadian Association, Chasaya Sichilima, who has lived out of Zambia for 20 years, beginning with 13 years in England and the other seven in Canada, urged the Zambian Government to utilise its citizens in the Diaspora as they had the capacity to contribute a lot more than the FDI coming into the country.
He said Zambians living abroad did not necessarily need to be back in Zambia physically as they could contribute while being away.
He explained that one of the chief reasons people acquired citizenship when they migrated was that it became easier for them to stay in those countries and have access to loans and certain jobs which they would not if they were merely residents.
‘‘We want a shift where the President and the Government begin to recognise and make efforts to ensure that the Diaspora becomes a prominent force.
‘‘We actually should be given the incentive to contribute even a lot more than foreign investors because our hearts are in Zambia, our minds are in Zambia,” he said.
Mr Sichilima said Canada had made vast developments in many fields because it had harnessed the skills of people from different parts of the world.
On the issue of dual nationality, Mr Sichilima said: “It should have been done, like yesterday. That’s how late we are. We have, as a country, lost out on our own people who have gone to apply their skills elsewhere.”
A lot of Zambians, he said, were willing to help but needed a platform that could make them get more rebates than those offered to foreign investors.
He cited Kenya as one country that had put in place a Diaspora Act which made it a lot easier for people to invest or acquire land and, as a result, the country was getting a lot more money from its nationals abroad than what came in from foreign investors.
Mr Sichilima advised the Government to consider opening Diaspora desks in all foreign missions to help Zambians access investment information without having to take a flight back home.
Around 2006, Ghana received about $6 billion in remittances from the Diaspora in sharp contrast to $400 million in 2002, a year before dual citizenship was espoused and the figure was expected to increase.
Former World Bank country representative to Zambia, Kapil Kapoor, said Indians living in the Diaspora were making a significant contribution to that country’s economy.
‘‘It started from a realisation that the Diaspora are able to convey large sums of money which can be used for development. That’s twice the amount of all the money that donors provide developing countries. There’s a lot of attention that is focused on cooperating partners and donors. The Diaspora remits more than twice the amount,” Dr Kapoor said.
With President Michael Sata having appointed a 20-member Technical Committee to draft the constitution it remains to be seen whether the group would consider the dual citizenship clause as proposed in the Mung'omba draft report, one document Mr Sata has directed the team to refer to.
The economic benefits of dual-citizenship are there. For example a total amount of US$250 billion was remitted in 2007 from the Diaspora from all parts of the world.
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