Policy initiatives by states should consider reforms in citizenship Legislation which permits the diaspora to be part of the political management of their countries of origin. Sharing some best practice from Ghana, as part of the measures to make it easy for Ghanaians in the diaspora to contribute to the country’s development, our citizenship legislation was revised to make it possible for Ghanaians who have acquired other nationalities to still maintain their Ghanaian citizenship under a dual citizenship arrangement. This has permitted the Ghanaian diaspora community to be enjoy some better opportunities. Also there is the need for the diaspora to politically participation in national affairs through elections and national decisions. On 24 February 2006, the Representation of the Peoples Act was passed by Parliament to allow Ghanaians abroad to register to vote in elections and other national referenda. It must be mentioned that when migrants have a say in the political management of their countries of origin they are likely to support the development of the country in other forms such as donations and setting up trust among others.

Government should also set up special ministries or units to manage all migrant concerns and migration. For instance in Ghana, the Migration Unit at the Ministry of Interior have are helping to manage migration within a framework that can make this phenomena beneficial to migrants and the country. Governments.NGOs and CSOs, should pursue an outreach policy to make the diapora aware of what is happening in their country of origin and how the can be part of the development agenda of their country of origin.
After it all, there is the need for governments in sending countries and stakeholders to be engaged in the celebration and acknowledgement of the contribution of migrants to their sending countries/communities. A better platform will be for heads of government to officially recognize and support the celebration of International Migrant Day (12TH December) in all countries. In this regard migrants will be inspired and enthused to support their communities in development back home.


The development impact on these policies and practices be best assessed, scaled up, and shared across different countries and regions if countries work under a framework that engages all actor within the migration agenda. Government should also be transparent in the management of their economies so that they can win the trust of the diaspora who would like to support the countries of origin. No diasporas community would like to support a government that is corrupt and mismanages diaspora funds or support.

It is important to empower migrants and Diaspora to contribute to the development. When people migrate, they sometimes feel detached from country of origin. Migrants usually perceive that that they are isolated from the development process of the country of origin. But the Government and Civil Society organization should recognise the contribution of migrants and Diaspora in the economic development of home country. Migrants and Diaspora play a significant role in micro, meso and macro level of the economy of home country. Remittances boost the rural economy and it has economic multiplier effect. So the Government and Civil Society organization should empower the Migrants and Diaspora to contribute to development. For example, in Bangladesh the government has initiated different activities to empower Migrants and Diaspora to contribute to development. The initiatives are:
1. Special award for Non-Resident Bangladeshis(NRBs) investors who have invested remittances in Bangladesh
2. Tax holiday facilities for any investment in Bangladesh
3. Income tax exemption on remittances
4. Different savings products for NRBs
5. Quota on Initial Public Offerings(IPO) of share in the capital market

Regards,

Rashed Al Hasan
Project Manager (Remittances)
INAFI Bangladesh

Money sent by Overseas Filipinos to the Philippines is a major factor in the country's economy. This makes the country the fourth largest recipient of foreign remittances behind India, China and Mexico. Overseas Filipinos have long contributed to the country's development. Remittances are utilized to purchase items of comfort like appliances; investments like land and houses, but mostly it is for daily sustenance like food. Therefore, the country's economy is consumer-driven.

Government recognizes the importance of overseas Filipinos. We are hailed as the new heroes of our country. Legislators have been supportive of laws to recognize dual citizenship. It likewise worked for the law for overseas voting. We recognize the importance of participating in the elections. However, the right to vote is not enough to show the importance of how much the OFs contribute to its country's development.

For the country to develop, the Philippine government should direct its efforts to improving the domestic economy so that more jobs are created at reasonable pay so that standard of living are adequate. It should prioritize industries wherein overseas Filipinos will be able to invest and eventually provide employment for its citizens in the long run. Graft and corruption should be addressed so that resources should be channeled to projects where the people's lives will be uplifted.

While I agree that government's involvement is important in supporting migrants abroad, in the Caribbean case, government inefficiency and corruption have not made the diasporas comfortable in channelling resources to their communities through governmental agencies. Would NGOs or community based organisations be a better fit?