Definition of diaspora (reminder to clarify the concept)
- The African Diaspora is defined by the African Union as “people of African origin living outside the continent, regardless of their citizenship and nationality, who wish to contribute to the development of the continent and the building of the African Union.
- The African Diaspora is an integral part of the African Union. Article 3 (q) of the Protocol on Amendments to the Constitutive Act of the African Union (2003) already expressly invited the African Union to participate as an important party in the construction of the Union. In addition, the World Diaspora Summit Declaration in 2012 recognized the need to build sustainable partnerships between the African continent and the African diaspora through sustained dialogue and effective collaboration.
- It is in this sense that it is imperative that African countries can celebrate this important fringe of the continent that lives beyond the borders of Africa by giving it a place of choice in the construction of a “united, prosperous and peaceful Africa.
The diaspora and Afro-descendants as strategic actors in the sustainable development of Africa
-
The development of the continent can benefit the most from the capitalization of the skills, expertise and leadership of Africans abroad. It is a reservoir of potential to be transformed into levers of power on the continent.
-
Furthermore, marked by identity-based retrenchment, which often translates into tougher migration conditions, more complex asylum procedures, and discriminatory treatment of populations of African descent, Africa must now lay the foundations of an African strategy to address identity-based issues in a global approach.
-
This Sixth Region of the continent instituted by the African Union Commission constitutes a real economic, social, political, cultural and network power that Africa needs to mobilize all the more as it represents a historical community of values and cultures, marked today by models of social and professional successes useful to the continent.
The Decade is part of the Agenda 2063
-
It is a fact that people of African descent and the diaspora play a vital role in the emancipation of the continent by supporting development programs in Africa through effective advocacy in the legislative and executive bodies of their host countries, civil societies, NGOs, academia, among others.
-
Similarly, the African diasporas, through their expertise, social commitments and financial and economic weight, remain strong partners and stakeholders in the implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
-
The Decade of African Roots and Diasporas is one of the innovative initiatives to bring together and federate projects and programs to strengthen the role and contributions of people of African roots and diasporas to the economic development of the African continent. Just in terms of financial transfers made by the diaspora to Africa, the figures for remittances speak for themselves with nearly $689 billion in 2018, compared to $683 billion the previous year according to the World Bank.
