The development marks a notable turn in Somalia\u2019s political and security landscape, with nihan Erdogan, deputy regional director of the IOM Regional Office for East, Horn and Southern Africa, noted that the African diaspora acts as a vital catalyst for socio-economic transformation by driving remittances, enterprise, trade, skills transfer, philanthropy, and investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cDiaspora capital, knowledge, and networks can also build businesses, create jobs, and strengthen resilience,\u201d Erdogan said in Kenya\u2019s port city of Mombasa during the opening of a diaspora investment workshop. The five-day workshop is convened by the IOM and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), a trading bloc.<\/p>\n
It brings together senior policymakers, investors, and donors to explore new ways to unlock diaspora investments across the continent\u2019s major trade corridors. Erdogan emphasized that Africa\u2019s robust trade corridors can effectively channel diaspora capital to connect markets, industrial zones, value chains, and communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy linking diaspora investors to what these corridors offer \u2014 in logistics, agro-processing, cold chain, industrial parks, renewable energy, and trade finance \u2014 we advance regional integration and inclusive growth at the same time,\u201d Erdogan said. She stated that IOM and COMESA have fostered policy dialogue and provided technical assistance to African governments to shift diaspora remittances from consumption toward high-growth sectors such as agribusiness, digital technology, and regional trade integration.<\/p>\n
COMESA Assistant Secretary-General for Programs Mohamed Kadah noted that governments and regional blocs now view the diaspora as a strategic engine for investment, industrial growth, and competitiveness. \u201cTrade corridors across the continent present significant potential for investment.<\/p>\n
The issue is likely to carry broader political weight as Somalia navigates federal power-sharing, regional competition and the search for stronger public institutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The development marks a notable turn in Somalia\u2019s political and security landscape, with nihan Erdogan, deputy regional director of the IOM Regional Office for East, Horn and Southern Africa, noted that the African diaspora acts as a vital catalyst for socio-economic transformation by driving remittances, enterprise, trade, skills transfer, philanthropy, and investment. \u201cDiaspora capital, knowledge,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":7625,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,4,12,13,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","category-editors-choice","category-featured","category-most-viewed-news","category-news-highlights","category-example-1"],"yoast_head":"\n