To respond to some of the challenges since the civil war, and following Mozambique’s accession as a Member State of IOM in 2011, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINEC) requested IOM’s assistance to develop a diaspora database within a broader diaspora engagement strategy.
This project aims to build governmental capacity to mobilize diaspora involvement in Mozambique’s national development. This will be achieved through the development of a national steering committee, formulation of a national diaspora strategy, organisation of a high-level study tour to Portugal, and the implementation of a communications campaign with the Mozambican diaspora to register for a diaspora database – in the form of an online diaspora platform to gather basic information and monitor trends – and invest in future programmes to contribute to national development. The intended outcome of this project is strengthened national institutional capacity to engage with the diaspora; increased knowledge of the nature and whereabouts of the diaspora; the development of evidence-based long-term programmes to promote investment and skills transfer; and strengthened positive communications between the Mozambican government and the diaspora.