To: Ceesay, Soffie
Subject: Fwd: [ChatAfriK] The Case of the Nigerians in Diaspora
Organization

[log in to unmask] wrote: 


	
	:: BlackElectorate.com :
<http://blackelectorate.com/print_article.asp?ID=1859> 
	 
	 Diaspora Unity in Action: The Case of the Nigerians in Diaspora
Organization by Bathseba H. Belai
	
	The past few years have witnessed a growing realization that -
properly managed and creatively utilized - the financial, intellectual
and social capital of Africans in the diaspora presents a unique
resource to fuel growth on the continent.
	
	Indeed, the beneficial impact that diaspora Africans may have in
the development efforts of their countries of origin is a matter that is
now widely accepted and recognized by various stakeholders, including
African bodies such as the African Union; African governments as well as
the diaspora themselves. However, significant and sustainable diaspora
participation with an appreciable impact on national development - such
as witnessed in countries such as India, China, Mexico, etc. - remains
largely elusive on the African continent.
	
	
	Weaknesses in the engagement of the African diaspora on the
continent are mainly attributed to the lack of well thought-out
initiatives that go beyond supportive statements as regards diaspora
participation in developmental activities and actually establish
channels through which resources in the diaspora could effectively be
matched with needs in the home-country. While it is clearly the
responsibility of home and host country institutions, in partnership
with relevant international organizations, to design and implement
appropriate mechanisms that would enable the African diaspora to realize
its potential as a full-fledged development partner on the African
continent, diaspora communities also have a crucial role to play in
terms of increasing their visibility so as to improve their standing in
the mainstream international development scene.
	
	A higher profile of African diaspora communities in the
societies they live in as well as in their countries of origin can only
be achieved through a concerted effort by various African diaspora
groups to work together on issues that affect them all, thus forming a
common front for action such as effective lobbying for policies and
programs that facilitate diaspora engagement. However, such successful
advocacy requires unity among the African diaspora, both within groups
from specific countries as well as across the continent - precisely the
type of alliances and level of organization that diaspora Africans,
unlike some of their Latin American and Asian counterparts, have not
proved particularly adept at.
	
	Indeed, the fragmentation of African diaspora groups is a
recurring theme in considerations related to increasing the impact of
their contribution to homeland capacity development. While many are the
groups that have voluntarily mobilized to assist in national development
efforts, linkages among diaspora organizations remain tenuous, and
divisive practices - along political, ethnic, religious, linguistic, and
regional lines - continue to spread. Such fragmentation of voice,
purpose and action has effectively stunted the full realization of the
potential of African diaspora groups for significant engagement in
development.
	
	However, over the course of my research on mechanisms to promote
the contribution to development that diaspora Africans could make to
their countries of origin, I came across an African diaspora
organization - the Nigerians In Diaspora Organization (NIDO)
<http://www.nidoamericas.org/>  - which I thought was most notable for
the level of cohesion and organization that it has been able to achieve
among Nigerians in the diaspora.
	
	NIDO was formed subsequent to meetings held in 2000 between
President Obasanjo of Nigeria with Nigerian diaspora members in the
United States and United Kingdom, meetings at which the need to bring
together all existing Nigerian diaspora initiatives to contribute to
development efforts in Nigeria under a framework organization, so as to
streamline and facilitate their engagement, was particularly
highlighted. This gave rise to the establishment of NIDO-Europe and
NIDO-Americas, which serve as umbrella organizations for Nigerian groups
in Europe and the Americas (including the Caribbean).
	
	As per its website <http://www.nidoamericas.org/> , NIDO is a
non-governmental, apolitical, non-religious and non-tribal body. It was
set-up with the purpose of advancing the interests of Nigeria and
Nigerians abroad through the development of "effective modes - through
programs, policies and advocacy - for Nigerians abroad to harness their
talents, expertise and resources for Nigeria's development and nation
building." To that end, NIDO works to raise the profile of the Nigerian
diaspora among both Nigerian and host country institutions; establish
communication linkages between all Nigerians in the diaspora as well as
the governmental and non-governmental sectors in Nigeria; encourage
unity among the Nigerian diaspora so as to achieve greater voice and
influence; devise means through which the diaspora's resources could be
most effectively applied in Nigerian development project; and, promote
positive image of Nigeria abroad, with the purpose of enhancing
business, tourism, investment and trade opportunities.
	
	NIDO has an extensive network of member groups and individuals
on both the American and European continent. NIDO-Europe boasts 17
chapters, including 2 in the United Kingdom, and one each in Austria,
Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands,
Poland, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and
Ukraine. In North America, NIDO has several chapters across the United
States, and one in Toronto, Canada. The organization has managed to
leverage its significant membership into a considerable Nigerian
diaspora voice that wields a certain level of influence in the Nigerian
development arena. Thus, in 2005, the Nigerian diaspora - through NIDO -
was invited by the Nigerian federal government to participate in the
country's National Political Reform Conference, the first time ever that
the diaspora was invited to present its views and advance its interests
in a national constitutional review conference. Furthermore, the
Nigerian National Volunteer Service (NNVS) - under the Office of the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation - was established to work
with NIDO and other Nigerians in the diaspora so as to facilitate their
meaningful contribution to Nigerian development. NIDO was also a major
player in the first annual Nigeria Diaspora Day that took place last
summer.
	
	However, despite its many achievements, NIDO has also, since its
inception, been plagued by certain problems, notably those revolving
around its leadership, including accusations of vote dealing during
elections for NIDO-Americas Board Chair; concerns regarding the
relationship between NIDO and the Nigerian government, leading to
speculation as to how "non-governmental" this organization really is,
are also part of the recurring controversies that surround NIDO.
	
	Nevertheless, the case of NIDO - and the wide recognition it has
been able to achieve through its high level of organization and its
efforts to regroup the efforts and voice of diaspora Nigerians - greatly
merits closer examination by other African diaspora groups. Indeed,
despite the many setbacks NIDO has suffered since its establishment, it
undoubtedly presents a case of unity in action as is not commonly seen
on the African diaspora scene. Fragmentation of purpose and efforts in
African diaspora communities have led to their marginalization from the
mainstream development structure; a more effective and efficient
engagement, leading to higher impact and sustainability of diaspora
national growth initiatives, would certainly be well served by the type
of overarching framework associations such as advanced by NIDO, for
consideration at a national as well as continental level.
	
	Bathseba H. Belai is an independent researcher based in
Montreal, Canada. She is currently conducting a study on mechanisms to
facilitate an effective and sustainable engagement of the African
Diaspora in the continent's capacity building efforts, with a focus on
Ethiopia as a case study.This article was published in The Ethiopian
Reporter. 
	
	

	Bathseba H. Belai 
	Tuesday, March 06, 2007
	Forward Ever (by any means necessary)!
	Karen C. Aboiralor
	  <mailto:[log in to unmask]> 
	.
	
<http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=3476126/grpspId=1705116291/m
sgId=22530/stime=1174588242/nc1=1/nc2=2/nc3=3> 
	__,_._,___ 



¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html

To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤