Ireland / Africa Diaspora Project

I recently returned from a visit to Zambia and Nigeria and while there worked closely with Ireland’s Ambassadors in both countries – Bronagh Carr in Zambia and Peter Ryan in Nigeria – both of whom have had very extensive experience and do a magnificent job of representing Ireland overseas. The visits were fascinating as I had the opportunity of having in-depth discussions with a variety of people on a topic very close to my heart – how can countries develop meaningful strategies to connect with their Diasporas. I was also very conscious of the lines in Ireland’s Diaspora Strategy 2020 – 2025 which state -

 “Building on Ireland’s experience in engaging with its Diaspora Ireland will seek to deepen its understanding of diasporic community engagement and seek to share our experience with other countries with large Diaspora communities.”

In short then – do we have something to offer these countries and Africa in general in this area and the answer we got from all sides was a resounding yes. Everywhere we went and everybody we met referenced the extraordinary contribution that Irish missionaries have made in the past and how helping African countries engage with their Diasporas would be a way of continuing this historic link. At every level we were asked to share what we, in Ireland, have learnt about connecting with our Diaspora and what elements would work in Zambia and Nigeria.

With my colleague, Dr. Martin Russell, we gave a series of presentations, round tables and workshops to share global best practice and make the point that the interconnected world of today has seen Diaspora communities from multiple countries become key players in global affairs. Central to this is taking a whole of government approach and developing an ecosystem of initiatives that are both public and private and reflect the diversity and difference in the Diaspora. In all of this it is about developing leadership and learning from what works and what doesn’t work in other countries. 

We were able to share Ireland’s story and the tragedy of 10 million people leaving the island. But we were also able to show that this has resulted in an Irish Empire built not by military might and force of arms but by the fact that the Irish went to so many countries and turned tragedy to triumph. We referenced that there was once a time when the Prime Minister of New Zealand was called Muldoon, the Prime Minister of Australia was called Keating, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom was called Callaghan, the Prime Minister of Canada was called Mulroney and the President of the United States was called Reagan. A true global tribe.

We also shared in some depth the experience of other countries and, in particular, India and how India has used its cultural, economic and political identity to achieve progress domestically and internationally. The Indian Diaspora is playing an ever increasing role in promoting India’s interests worldwide. They have very successfully leveraged the power and prestige of the Diaspora to grow economic growth at home through promoting investment and entrepreneurship. This approach has attracted billions of dollars from the Diaspora and created huge numbers of jobs. At the same time the Diaspora have promoted cultural ties between India and the world helping make India a truly global culture. There is now a palpable sense of ‘Global Indianess’. African countries can learn from this and generate significant Diaspora Capital which is made up of 3 flows – flows of people, flows of knowledge and flows of money.

So herein lies a fascinating opportunity for Ireland in Africa – an opportunity hidden in plain sight. Ireland has something special to offer in this space – something other countries don’t possess and are not in a position to offer. We need to be bold and imaginative and apply the lessons we have learned from our own experience and a multitude of other countries. This is a non-competitive industry so we should share to the maximum. Not only will it be extremely beneficial to the recipient countries but it will be a smart and savvy application of Ireland’s ‘Soft Power’.

 Now is the time – Carpe Diem.