By Oluwaseun Sonde
Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, (NiDCOM), Hon. (Dr) Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said that more African countries joining the Diaspora bandwagon, to establish and properly engage their respective Diasporas will catapult continental development and growth.
Represented by the Secretary to the commission, Engr Dr Sule Yakubu Bassi, stated this during the Second Study Tour of the Commission and other agencies by Ethiopian Delegation facilitated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Abuja.
Dr. Bassi who welcomed them on their Country visit, stated that this will help integrate Africans in the diaspora to support and contribute back home and emphasized NiDCOM is a part of the National Migration System and would be transparent in helping provide steps and processes to creating a functional, credible and accurate data collection system.
He however, said the Nigerian situation is different because the Nigerian constitution allows Dual Citizenship for her country men and women unlike other countries like Ethiopia.
Meanwhile, Hon. Abdulrahman Terab, NiDCOM’s Head of Technology Transfer and Innovation (TTI) explained that creating such a system will require a collection of basic data to be able to engage their citizens abroad.
He added that the basic data can be collated through embassies, missions and different associations, groups and clubs of Ethiopians in the diaspora.
Terab further highlighted that the most improved way of data collation for the Commission is the Diaspora Data Mapping Portal which helps collate the needed data such as skill sets and basic needs of a Nigerian in the diaspora for proper profiling.
Mr. Asalfew Abera, the Deputy Director General for Ethiopia Statistics Service stated that Ethiopia plans to develop a potential perspective plan which aims to build a prosperous country thereby creating good citizens, as migration is a dynamic and development issue.
The team of ESS hopes that a collaboration with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission will enhance the use of legal and proper migration and through the Commission’s support there will be continental Development and growth.
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