The socio‐economic basis of a diaspora community:

In this article the author discusses the history and actions of the Igbo community, primarily via their ‘home town unions or associations’ and more recently through the activities in the diaspora of the World Igbo Congress (WIC), both to establish their presence in their adopted countries throughout the world but also, and more importantly, to maintain links with ‘home town’ communities. This takes place especially via large and small‐scale economic ventures, including capital construction projects, local investments, and occasionally local recruitment for the international market, from ‘home towns’ (often small villages) in Eastern Nigeria. The first part of the paper discusses the socio‐economic activities that Igbo ‘home town unions’ are involved in, the second discusses the historical background to these unions, the third analyses their success and what future contributions such groups might have in a rapidly ‘globalising’ world economy.