Issue No. 506

Skills Without Borders: The Role of the Somali Diaspora in Nation-Building
 

For some time now, Somalis from the diaspora have been playing a prominent role in the politics of Somalia-- as elected officials, advisers, and fundraisers. Yet the diaspora’s role in the social, economic, and educational development of their homeland has not always been as visible. We know that many individual educators, health providers, and business people have returned to work in Somalia, even as others seek to leave their country to pursue education or employment abroad. But there seems to be no systematic inventory of Somali diaspora professionals who have chosen to serve their country either temporarily or permanently, nor of the specific technical or managerial skills they have brought with them.  
 
Knowing the overall scope of diaspora contributions to the country’s social and economic development assists international organisations in recruiting qualified personnel for their various projects. It can also serve to model opportunities for younger generations of overseas Somalis who may be looking for ways to serve their country of origin. 
 
While there is some evidence that educated second generation Africans in host countries around the world—many of whom are citizens in those countries—aspire to return to the continent, talented individuals may not see viable opportunities to contribute back home. The constraints are even more acute for countries like Somalia where concerns over security and political favouritism may discourage skilled emigres from returning to offer even short-term assistance in their fields of expertise. 
 
In 2004, the Somalia office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched a project to encourage Somali professionals living abroad to employ their skills back home. The project, called QUESTS (Qualified Expatriate Somali Technical Support), was modelled after UNDP’s global initiative known as TOKTEN (Transfer of Knowledge Through Expatriate Nationals). QUESTS program was succeeded by the MIDA (Migration for Development in Africa) initiative under the auspices of the International Office of Migration. MIDA deployed its first Somali diaspora experts to Somalia in 2009, and since then some 500 professionals have completed their assignments. This has included training of local (in-country) professionals and interns. While much of the emphasis appears to have been on building the capacity of state institutions for governance, skills-building in health and education was also an objective. The successes and shortcomings of this initiative can be debated, but the idea is sound and worth revisiting.
 
Recruiting overseas professionals to work for six months or more on projects in the public sector faces challenges, including separation from family, difficulties adjusting to conditions in Somalia, and the allure of engaging in the political arena where the financial rewards are often more apparent. Also, IOM statistics show that 74% of MIDA participants have been male, even though Somali women have been leaders in public and private life, where they prioritize the immediate needs of families and children over endless political wrangling that consumes so many of their male counterparts. 
 
We might consider experimenting with something like the US Peace Corp, a program for Somali diaspora youth, who could be provided with training in a number of areas and then apprenticed to projects in Somalia.  Ideally, young Somalis returning to the Horn could be assigned to work in regions other than their family’s homelands, to reduce pressures of local clan loyalties and build a sense of civic responsibility across the country. 
 
A visible and coordinated effort by international organisations, NGOs, and diplomatic missions to recruit, deploy, and support overseas Somalis who could bring professional expertise back to Somalia could enhance programs already in place and contribute to a greater sense of national purpose. Coordinating groups might work with professional associations, both in country and across the diaspora, to design projects, including public-private partnerships, and deploy technical teams, while training the next generation of experts. Framing this as a national initiative could help strengthen Somali professional networks and think tanks that cut across political and clan divides.  It could also contribute to a database of expatriate experts available to serve as consultants to ministries and aid organisations on the ground.
 
We might think of these ‘professional building blocks’ as a welcome complement to efforts at political consensus, a way of furthering development that serves the public good. We used to talk about the professional ‘brain drain’ from Africa, and then about the ‘brain gain’ as Western-educated Africans returned home to invest skills and human capital in their home countries. Perhaps a ‘brain exchange’ is a better way to frame the latest wave of Somali diaspora professionals, whose mobility and pragmatism offer ‘skills without borders’ we can’t afford to ignore.