Zimbabwe - The Government of Zimbabwe in collaboration with IOM this week (12/09) launched the Zimbabwe National Diaspora Directorate to enhance the engagement and participation of the Zimbabwean diaspora in national development.

The launch of the Directorate is in line with the National Diaspora Policy that Zimbabwe developed in 2015 with funding from the IOM Development Fund. While the policy is the framework for mutual engagement between the government and the diaspora, the Directorate will be the secretariat responsible for operationalizing the policy. 

The roles of the Directorate will include coordinating and facilitating the contributions of the Zimbabwean diaspora, including remittances, transferable skills and the networks which are integral to the development of a modern, knowledge-based economy.

This will be achieved through coordinated information dissemination on investment opportunities, procedures and regulations. The Directorate will also coordinate the development of a diaspora database and integrated information systems.

Minister of Macroeconomic Planning and Investment Promotion Dr. Obert Mpofu, who attended the launch, said the Directorate the dedicated database will enhance dialogue with the diaspora to invest back home. The launch was also attended by representatives of financial institutions, government and returned Zimbabwean diaspora members.

IOM Zimbabwe Chief of Mission Lily Sanya said: “IOM encourages the government to get to know its diaspora by mapping their locations, compiling inventories of their skills and experience, and engaging a wide range of the diaspora in listening events to understand what the diaspora is willing to offer and what it expects from the government in turn, as this lays the foundation for good communication and mutual trust building.”

At the launch, IOM Zimbabwe also handed over equipment including computers, printers and a projector to Directorate counterparts.

IOM’s support for the Government of Zimbabwe in the implementation of its Diaspora Policy is part of a 44-month 11th European Development Fund (EDF) project funded by the European Union. IOM and government have already finalized logistics for diaspora consultation meetings lined up for September 2016 in the United Kingdom, Canada and South Africa.  

For further information please contact Gideon Madera at IOM Zimbabwe, Tel: +263 04 702485, +263772863172 Email: gmadera@iom.int