Migration/diasporas

Migration has emerged as one of the most important tools for development on the African continent in the twenty-first century. This chapter reviews the linkages between diasporas and development with a major focus on the new African diasporas. It starts by mapping the international destinations of African migrants globally before examining the developmental implications of these movements. The introduction of mobile-based remittance platforms has enhanced accessibility of remittances to rural dwellers who frequently lack access to banking services. Diasporic contributions such as short-term returns and diaspora networks, which depend on the goodwill of the diaspora, should be pursued as a supplemental, rather than as an integral strategy to meet the skills need in Africa. The chapter concludes with a call to centre migrants in the migration-development debate by paying attention to the challenges they face during the migration process as well as their integration experiences in the destination regions.