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Engaging Zimbabwean diaspora in socio-economic reconstruction
International Organisation on Migration (IOM)
October 30 , 2009

A meeting today organized by the Zimbabwean government and IOM in Johannesburg, is looking to find ways of engaging the Zimbabwean diaspora living in South Africa in the socio-economic reconstruction and development of their home country.

An estimated 3 million Zimbabweans are believed to be living in the diaspora. South Africa is a major destination for Zimbabwean migrants although Zimbabwe has also experienced significant outflows of its nationals to other countries.

Although many of these migrants contribute in some way to the Zimbabwean economy by sending home remittances, which represented 7.2 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product in 2007, Zimbabwean emigration has had serious implications for the country's economic growth and development as it has led to significant human resource shortages in key sectors.

Funded by the European Union (EU), the meeting which is being attended by senior Zimbabwean government officials, representatives from Zimbabwe's private sector and civil society, donors and IOM officials, is a follow-up to initial consultations that IOM held with Zimbabwean diaspora representatives in South Africa.

The meeting is the first of several that the Zimbabwean government and IOM intend to host in countries that have significant numbers of the Zimbabwean migrants such as Botswana, Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. As well as finding ways to engage the diaspora, the meetings will create a platform for dialogue between the Zimbabwean government and Zimbabwean diaspora.

They also build on earlier IOM efforts to engage the diaspora in contributing to the future development of Zimbabwe. This includes a programme launched earlier aimed at helping redress some of the health shortages in the country by getting Zimbabwean health professionals living abroad to return for short periods of time to pass on their knowledge and expertise. A website has been developed advertising employment and investment opportunities that skilled workers, professionals as well as investors, both local and abroad, can take advantage of.

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