-Preparing to observe The Diaspora Day
ADDIS ABABA – The newly formed Ethiopian Diaspora Agency is prioritizing the registration of the Ethiopia Diaspora and identification of potential knowledge and skill potential as its top priority. The registration is being conducted with the countries they live in and assisted with a new database management system.
Agency Director General Selamawit Dawit told The Ethiopian Herald that the country needs the engagement of the Diaspora community in various development endeavors, and hence the Agency has prioritized the registration of the Diaspora through its website, and Ethiopian Embassies and Consulate Offices located around the world.
Though the registration process has started earlier, few members of the Diaspora have registered so far; Selamawit said adding that the data will help the agency to utilize the information in a sustainable manner.
Indicating that the Diaspora has comparative advantages, she said that it has special knowledge, expertise and remittances which make the country beneficial in many ways.
“If they are ready to return home, we are making preparation to serve them as a bridge via facilitating conditions to invest in and transfer knowledge and expertise to the society.”
So far, the agency has been establishing its organizational structure. “Now, we are approaching to finalize many of the tasks.”
Selamawit further said that by identifying the bottlenecks encountered while providing service to the Diaspora, the agency has come up with new strategies to address the challenges. Accordingly, the agency has identified 36 areas to assign Diaspora diplomats to create conductive for the Diaspora.
The agency has prepared guidelines that link itself with other institutions as the Diaspora issue cannot be handled by a single organization alone, she added.
The new arrangement will address the complaints raised by the Diaspora. In so doing, the Agency is set to minimize bureaucratic barriers that the Diaspora has so far been encountered so far, she stated.
The agency has been making preparation to mark the Diaspora Day colorfully. According to Selamawit, a committee is established and list of events are also identified to mark the day which was previously banned and was only celebrated in Tigray state.
The Ethiopian Herald, June 20/2019
BY GIRMACHEW GASHAW
