Paper short abstract:

The paper aims at studying the proactive roles which African Diasporas have played in the development of the continent through remittances, etc and the different steps taken by the Nigerian government to harness and mobilize her diaspora towards the development of the country.

Paper long abstract:

Today as never before, governments of most African states have recognized the importance of the Diasporas to homeland development through its gained experience and know-how, valuable networks and access to significant technology and capital. Most African governments are therefore, poised to create the enabling environment for harnessing these human resources outside the continent by organizing the Diaspora into an effective community. Using Nigeria as a case study, this paper notes that the Federal government of Nigeria as well as many state governments in the country has appointed Special Advisers on Diaspora Matters with a view to organizing its citizenry abroad for purposes of homeland development. The Nigerian government has equally included the Diaspora in the nation's development agenda.

This paper aims at studying the proactive roles which African Diasporas especially Nigerians have played in the socio-economic development of the continent through remittances, etc. The paper discusses the different steps taken by the Nigerian government to achieve its objectives.

From an academic point of view, the paper questions the conventional belief expressed in political economy literature with regard to globalization as diminishing the powers of the state. As a result of globalization, national governments are believed to have less autonomy and authority in controlling their domestic economies. Now, the emergence of state institutions whose sole purpose is to facilitate relationships between Diasporas and their home country challenges these ideas.

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