A country is all about its citizens. The citizens also have to stand for the benefit of their country. To achieve their goals of supporting their country, citizens do and get involved in various activities.
The best example regarding the current situation in Ethiopia is the courage and motivation that the Ethiopian Diasporas all over the world have shown and stood in solidarity to support their country from any external intervention. Several deeds were achieved by the Ethiopian Diasporas in recent years. They have displayed their responsibilities by standing beside the country to defend and become the voice.
Based on the current unrest in the country, the Ethiopian government is fighting multiple fronts both internally and externally. The war itself has its own impact on the overall progress of the country. Besides, the country encounters with both diplomatic and economic warfare from outside. The people and the government of Ethiopia face the war and fight the terrorist group who is helped by some western countries.
Acknowledging this reality, the Ethiopian diaspora have taken the responsibility of defending the country in terms of the diplomacy and economic front. Since few weeks ago, the Diaspora has gone out to the street and protested the external intervention on internal affairs of the country as Ethiopia is a sovereign state. The protest was also coupled with the NO MORE campaign on twitter which got the attention of many Africans. And, recently, the fruit has been seen. The ‘Declaration of genocide in Tigray’ has been removed from the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Ethiopian Diaspora has orchestrated several occasions to support the country.
Not only the diplomacy struggles but also the Diaspora has contributed to the country’s economy. According to Ethiopian Diaspora Agency, in the past three months of the current fiscal year, the diaspora has used the legal money transfer channels and sent over 1.1 billion US Dollars in remittance.
This time, the government calls Diasporas from all over the world for the Great Ethiopian Homecoming challenge. A minimum of One million Diasporas are expected to get their tickets and come home. This challenge is the first in its kind to call Diasporas while the country is in state of emergency situation. It conveys tremendous message to those who are nagging their citizens to evacuate from Ethiopia as soon as possible.
Approached by The Ethiopian Herald, Public Relation Director of the Ethiopian Diaspora Agency, Wondwosen Girma explained that the Great Ethiopian homecoming challenge has two major objectives. It has both diplomatic and economic goals. Regarding the diplomatic way, some western countries put the country under pressure due to the existing situation in the northern part of the country. The Diasporas have demonstrated to express their anger on the external pressure imposed on the country. The pressure from the western countries has two faces; one is the diplomacy and the other is on the economy. The westerns have taken different actions to slower loans and funds they provide and Biden administration in particular expel the country from agreements like AGOA to pressurize the country. This homecoming challenge forwards the whole struggle to another level.
“The economic benefits of this challenge are huge. If we assume that a diaspora brings 500 Dollar, the money is a lot in local currency. This kind of income for the country is similar or higher than the loans and funds we get from loan givers,” added Wondwossen.
As soon as the homecoming challenge is called, the Ethiopian Diaspora Agency created an action plan for responsible stakeholders both locally and internationally to support the challenge come true. Actions are prepared carefully for responsible bodies to achieve. As far as the information gathered concerned, the Diasporas are very eager to be the part of the challenge. Even, some Diasporas formed various groups to bring aids and other basic materials for citizens in need. Some of them also created a website to support the ongoing homecoming challenge, the PR stated.
Before they arrive to Ethiopia, Wondwossen noted, different things should be put in place in order to make things comfortable to them. For instance, the Ethiopian Airlines stated that there will be a 30 percent discount for Diasporas. Besides, hotels have announced a 35- 50 percent discount to support the homecoming challenge. Not only that, tour operators also put their fingerprint and they announced a 50 percent discount of their interest for the Diasporas coming home.
In line with this, whenever something new appears, different drawbacks are imminent. For the great homecoming challenge, some drawbacks that need caution will be expected. According to Wondwossen, the first thing is related to the global COVID-19 pandemic and the new variant. Travel restrictions on passengers from some western countries might be set in relation to this. The other one is that there will be different events for the Diasporas, so it is essential to sort out possible challenges and set a plan how to manage those big events and issues related with logistics.
When Diasporas arrive, the government may have different plans to achieve. Wondwossen highlighted that the Ethiopian Diaspora Agency strives to let Diasporas transfer knowledge, skills, and technologies to the country and take part in the process of country’s development. As mentioned above, there are multiple events like bazaars. In these bazaars, plenty of Diaspora related investments will be presented. This paves a way for the Diaspora to convince their minds and plan to invest in Ethiopia. The other one will be banks. They will present packages like creating a Diaspora account.
In order to support the above idea, The Ethiopian Herald approached an economist Jemal Mohammed (PhD). The Economist said that the great homecoming challenge has remarkable benefits for the country’s economy. In other words, these Diasporas are tourists. “So we have a million tourists visiting the country. When tourists come, they bring dollars. It is a dollar- gain market. They also bring extra demand for the local market, especially for industries that couldn’t export their products. These industries will get their buyers directly and will get the income we lose from the international markets. It will be more advantageous if these industries put some traditional touch on their products. Currently, the economic power of the people in the country is low and couldn’t afford some items; however, the Diaspora will inject extra demand to the local market,” he noted.
Unfortunately, the Economist pinpointed that with this extra demand on the market, price increment will be about to happen. Basic demands like food, hotels, and other services will be the ones that the price goes up. Thus, the government should do better for needy people. To support those citizens, the government should have a reserved store for basic items like edible oil whose price will increase.
Moreover, regarding foreign currency exchanges, Jemal added that the black market will cause another hitch. This is because these Diasporas will bring dollars to the country. They will transfer their money legally through banks, and they bring some in their pockets although there are restrictions on the amount of dollars to bring in. Therefore, they need to exchange their money, and they might use the black market. That will also hurt the nation’s economy. It will be fine if the black market use the money for good, not for illegal activities but the reality is not as such in most cases.
The Economist forwarded some of possible solutions for the upcoming obstacles. He said the government should prepare different mechanisms taking the lion’s share. For those who bring their money on hand, the government should either check the passengers carefully or have a special case treatment to endorse the money. The biggest step to be taken by the government will be the increment of foreign currency exchange rate. This will make the Diasporas use the formal or legal way to change their money.
In relation to the black market, Jemal said the government knows the hot spots and shops where the black market is activated, so there must be a special security on those places.
The sum up the idea, the first of its kind, the great Ethiopian homecoming challenges brings marvelous diplomatic and economic benefits not only for Ethiopia but also for the rest of Africa. Ethiopian Diasporas have proved themselves as the cornerstone of the country’s development. It will be obvious that they will answer to the call and come to the country. However, the government and responsible stakeholders should work vigorously to reduce the expected shortcomings and make the challenge come true.
BY DANIEL ALEMAYEHU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD DECEMBER 14/2021
