1. MEGACOMMUNITIES: AFRICANS IN THE DIASPORA ARE THE FOURTH WHEEL
Transitions are all the rage, what with terms such as ‘transitioning economies”,
‘transitioning democracies”, “emerging economies”, so on and so forth. Scholars of all things
political have determined that a transition does not always result in a movement from a negative or
undesirable state to a positive or desirable one. Countries have been known to slip back into less
liberal forms of democracy after starting a most painful transition. The question then becomes how
to have a transition that is continuously progressing in the right direction, and sustainable. To this
end, the authors of the book “Megacommunities”i
have proposed the creation of loosely fitted
organisms that would combine their resources to address the issues faced. The components would
be drawn from existing structures, namely government, private enterprise and NGOs. However in
the case of Africa, there is a component that has to be included due to its size demographically but
also due to the significant resources it represents. This is the Diasporaii
community.
When taken from this perspective, it makes perfect sense to go beyond the oft expressed
opinion that members of the Diaspora need to return home if they want to see their countries
change and develop. In their book “Megacommunities” Gerencser et al argue that there are three
main components of a megacommunity: government, private enterprise and NGOs. I argue that in
the case of Africa there exists a fourth which is the Diaspora. This argument can be seen as
validated by the African Union (AU) which included the Diaspora as the 6th
constituency in 2012,
stating in its “Declaration of the Global African Diaspora Summit” (May 25th
2015) that
“In the area of political cooperation, we commit to the following: … (e) Take
necessary measures to promote and create effective synergies between national and
continental Diaspora programmes; (g) Encourage and intensify the participation of
the African Diaspora in conflict prevention, management and resolution as well as
post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation and disaster mitigation in Africa and
the Diaspora regions” (Diaspora/Assembly/AU/Decl (I) p4).
International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs)
such as the AU have recognized for some time that the African Diaspora is a vital and untapped
resource. Admittedly this came about due to donor fatigue as a result of more than 50 years of aid
and still no sign of the improvements that this aid was meant to create. The Diaspora potential
cannot be quantified because their expertise has yet to be monetized in the existing environment.
Even so, the single measure of contribution that can be quantified shows great promise and has
been projected to increase by 5% worldwide in 2015. What I am referring to is remittances.
The figures alone are astounding and without delving too far into the dollars and cents,
suffice it to say that these remittances represent more than individual transactions to assist families
in need. The World Bank Group has estimated that these sums have exceeded official aid, and in
some cases they have are more than double that amount. Just to give you a rough idea, in the case
of Sub – Saharan Africa (SSA) remittances in 2014 were expected to reach US$33 billion and in

2. some cases would represent as much as 24% of GDP of an individual country. What is astounding
is how much in foreign currency reserves these remittances do represent: as high as 72% in the
case of Senegal. It can be argued that countries like Senegal would have a hard time meeting their
debt obligations without their Diaspora. Thus Diasporans has become an integral part of the
African economy, and are playing a significant role in stabilizing their home economies.
My argument is that while remittances can be measured and tracked, they should be
treated as an indicator of potential FDI. They serve as an indicator because these sums of money
are sent to specific recipients and have intended goals with an expected end point. They do not
represent the full capability of the Diaspora to fuel the economy and create lasting change.
According to the UNDP report on remittances, it has been proven that remittances have the ability
to reduce poverty and this has been proven through regression analysis. Even when it comes to
baseline data such as literacy rates or levels of education, remittances have been shown to
significantly impact these: “remittances have been associated with increased [individual] household
investments in education, health and entrepreneurship … children of remittance-receiving
households have a lower school drop-out ratio” as well as recorded higher birthweights which are
imperative if infant mortality is to be reducediii
.
What leaders of African countries have to recognize is that the Diaspora has great interests
in seeing their home countries prosper. And while the remittances provide proof of their on-going
link, they also serve as a reminder of the possibility of large sums of FDI. As it is, it is not possible
to state exactly how much money is remitted because there are some channels utilized which are
not traceable such as monetary exchanges and the physical transportation of cash across borders to
the intended recipient; much less to try and state what the projected FDI would be. In addition to
traceable remittances, there are numerous projects that Diasporans undertake for which data does
not exist, thus monetary values cannot be assigned. However, there is the example of India and
China whose economies have been transformed by their Diaspora populations and can provide us
with a picture of what is possible.
India’s 2013 GDP was reported at USD1.877 trillion and remittance inflows for the same
year were USD69.9 billion, approximately 3.7% of GDPiv
. However, when looking at India’s
economy one has to consider its IT services sector which makes up an amazing 56.9% of India’s
GDP. It is the largest sector with industry at 25.8% and agriculture at a mere 17.4%v
. This sector
was built almost solely by its Diaspora community which saw the opportunity and worked with the
government to create the right environment to make this industry what it is today. When one looks
at the 13-15% projected growth for this sector alone and what it represents in dollars for India, it is
clear that in order for African countries to attain the kind of economic growth that will decrease
poverty and aid in creating the requisite middle class, they have to engage their Diasporas.
In addition there are other financially immeasurable contributions that Diasporas make.
One of these is being ambassadors of their home countries, especially in this era of social media
where anyone with an inexpensive hand held device can be a journalist. There are entire

3. communities on platforms like Twitter such as the group Kenyans on Twitter (KOT) who have
established themselves as guardians of their country’s reputation. For instance, in 2012 a hand
grenade exploded in an occupied building resulting in some deaths. A western journalist reported
the story as “Kenya Burning” which sensationalized an unfortunate event but the story was
withdrawn because of the storm that KOT created on Twitter demanding its withdrawal. This
example demonstrates that given if given the mandate, Africans in the Diaspora can alter the view
of the rest of the world regarding their home countries. That, however, will require a complete
embracing of those who left their homes in search of a better life for themselves and their families.
There are also projects that they undertake such as building schools, setting up medical
camps or constructing apartment buildings. These projects, while just a few examples of the many
undertaken, are an indication of the wide range of issues tackled. From providing access to public
goods such as healthcare and education, to entrepreneurial activities that fulfill economic needs,
the African Diaspora community can facilitate an exponential economic turnaround that is
sustainable. Looking closer we find that by taking on projects that governments should be
responsible for, the Diaspora has provided much needed relief to both the community which
receives the services and the government that thus far has been unable to provide them. One of the
results is the savings to both sides, in both money and more importantly in lives. And so while we
cannot place a monetary value on lives, or even trace the overall impact of these projects
monetarily, or account for the funds from the Diaspora that make these projects possible, we know
that their contributions matter and change lives.
The hurdles that most African countries have to cross when it comes to fully integrating
their Diasporas are likely the same ones that stand in the way of consolidating their democracies.
These include the willingness to have open debate regarding any and all issues, where all
stakeholders are welcome to contribute and their contributions are taken into account when
policies are formulated and implemented. In the case of the Diaspora, it is not unusual to see these
same countries sideline the opinions of their Diaspora all while praising them for their remittances
and other tangible contributions. I am aware of a few cases where countries have taken steps to
incorporate their opinions and needs resulting in implementable Diaspora policies. The result in
some cases has been the implementation of Diaspora voting, to the tune of greater than 50% of
African countries with great successes. However it is important to note that electoral participation
does not necessarily translate to the creation of an environment that will allow full Diaspora
integration.
In my various conversations with fellow Diasporans, the prevalent concerns I hear
expressed as regards additional investment are the same ones expressed by other investors. Be they
current or potential, foreign or otherwise, investors are more likely to bring their money into places
where risks are low, manageable and/or predictable. While investors can have unique interests,
they share concerns such as the levels of corruption, the regulatory environments they will do
business in, the amount of paperwork that is required and many others. The World Bank Group
has done a tremendous job of tabulating these concerns in data in a report titled “Ease of Doing

4. Business” and the rankings are a reflection of investor concerns. In order for African countries to
garner the level of Diaspora investment they are seeking, they have to view their Diasporas in the
same way they view other foreign investors. This makes sense because their investments are also
done in foreign currency, a resource that these countries are always trying to have more of.
However, what we have to remember is that “megacommunities” demand a change in
orientation from the leaders of the various organizations involved”vi
, something that calls for a
letting go of a status quo that has been very beneficial to a select few. People who live away from
their place of birth will adopt some aspects of the cultures of their host locales. In the case of
Africans who live in the West, these acculturations tend to challenge the status quo in their home
countries which can become (and have become) a threat to the elites resulting in an unwillingness
to change or even listen with the intention to implement changes.
Whilst the governments are in agreement with them regarding economic changes that
result in vast improvements, it is in the area of political and social changes that the battles are
waged. It is not unusual to see social media “battles” waged about a political or social issue where
the Diaspora takes a completely different view of the matter, demands change (sometimes in an
intransigent tone), while those living in their home country are in complete disagreement regarding
the same matter. This tension is taken advantage of by the political elites who are only too glad to
receive the remittances but are unwilling to make the changes that would improve the lives of all
citizens. As already noted by the AU and supported by the experiences that led to the idea of the
megacommunities, in order for a community or a country to optimize its assets, everyone has to be
involved. And I add to this, current geographic locations should not be used as a limitation.
It is my hope that this idea of the megacommunities will take root and blossom into the
great tree that it can. It is my hope that the perception that has emerged that Africans who live
outside of Africa are not legitimately African and thus should stay out of issues that are salient to all
will cease. I hope that I have shown that there is so much more that Diasporans can offer their
home countries and as such should be accorded a place at the table with as much regard as a
western NGO or foreign investor, if not more. At the very least, Diasporans have proven that they
are willing and able to help shoulder the responsibility of nation building or rebuilding as is often
the case. It remains to be seen what a fully integrated African Diaspora community can do in any
country when given a greater stake. Indeed African governments are willing to learn from India’s
example, but that has yet to be seen. In the meantime African Diasporans are unbending in their
push for political reforms that they know will create the environment that will foster the growth
they witness in the various countries they live in. After all, east or west, home is best.
i
This term comes from the book titled “Megacommunities: How Leaders of Government, Business and Non-Profits
Can Tackle Today’s Global Challenges Together” by Mark Gerencser, Christopher Kelly, Fernando Napolitano and
Reginald Van Lee.
ii
Diaspora as used here refers to the populations that migrated following independence of African countries. The
creation of these vast and diverse populations is accredited to poverty and both economic and political repression.
iii
UNDP, Towards Human Resilience: Sustaining MDG progress in an Age of Economic Uncertainty

5. iv
World Bank Group report on India. 2013 data.
v
CIA World Factbook, India. Updated June 22nd
2014.
vi
Ref “Megacommunities” Kindle Version Loc 278. Unfortunately physical page numbers were not available.