MAPING THE SKILLS OF THE ETHIOPIAN DIASPORA
MOBILIZING ETHIOPIANS LIVING ABROAD FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ETHIOPIA

In 2001, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) initiated a capacity building program for Africa entitled Migration for Development in Africa (MIDA). The objective of the MIDA program is to assist countries in building their institutional capacities in order to manage and achieve their development goals through the maximization of the benefits of global migration. MIDA aims to facilitate the transfer of technical skills and financial resources from Africans living abroad who are willing to contribute to the development of their countries of origin. The MIDA program seeks initially to gain an understanding of the skills and knowledge bases of Africans living abroad, and secondarily to establish links between African countries and these communities without jeopardizing the social status and benefits gained by emigrants in their host country.

In Ethiopia, the MIDA program has been discussed with the Government through its representative, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED) and other relevant ministries. The government has expressed its strong support for the program and acknowledged the value of increasing the participation of Ethiopians living abroad in the public and private sector development of the country. MIDA has also been discussed with and well received by United Nations Agencies, private sector, civil society organizations, diaspora hosting countries, donors and others.

As an initial step to the program, IOM Addis Ababa has started collecting information about the skills of Ethiopians living abroad, and whether they would be interested in contributing to the development of their country of origin. The collected information will allow IOM to assess the available skills of the diaspora and establish an active data bank on professional and non-professional Ethiopians interested in the MIDA program. This database will ultimately be used to match the demand in the country with the skills and other resources available from the diaspora.

The MIDA program will facilitate the efforts of Ethiopia to maximize the benefits of international migration through assisting repeated or one-time stays; transfer of competencies by electronic mode; or even permanent return. Once funding is secured for the implementation of the program in Ethiopia, individuals’ request for participating will be facilitated.

The information collected from participants will be protected. Reporting of results regarding the skills available in the diaspora will only be done with the consent of the participants. The purpose of this study however, is not only to understand the skills of Ethiopians living abroad, but also to initiate contact between the Addis Ababa MIDA Project Team and parties interested in participating in the development of Ethiopia.