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Can dual citizenship benefit Zambia?

By editor
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AS the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) continues its sittings in Lusaka, one area that may be worth exploring is the enactment of a law that could help Zambia reap maximum benefits from its citizens in the Diaspora.

This is the path that many countries in the developing world are pursuing with resounding success.

In this regard, the question about whether it is appropriate to enact a law that allows Zambians living in the Diaspora hold dual citizenship deserves to be looked at with utmost sobriety and objectivity.

India is one such country that has proved that citizens living abroad can no longer be looked at with suspicion but rather as an asset, central to development initiatives.
Elsewhere, Kenya has put in place the Diaspora Act while Ghana has also made significant economic strides since it allowed dual citizenship three years ago.

India

Zambia’s World Bank country representative, Kapil Kapoor told Frank Mutubila on a recent Zambian Diaspora edition of Radio Phoenix’s Let the People Talk, that Indians living in the Diaspora were making a significant contribution to India’s economy.

‘‘It started from a realisation that the Diaspora are able to convey large sums of money which can be used for development. If one adds up the total amount of money that the Diaspora (from all parts of the world) remitted in 2007, it amounted to about US$250 billion.

‘‘That’s twice the amount of all the money that donors provide developing countries? There’s a lot of attention that is focused on cooperating partners and donors. The Diaspora remits more than twice the amount,” Dr Kapoor said.

He cited the Indian government which realised more than 20 years ago that the synergy with the Diaspora could be harnessed to greater effect than the case had previously been.

The result is that Indians in the Diaspora now send back between $25 billion and $30 billion annually through official channels although the amount is believed to be even much larger.

It was upon this realisation that the Indian government thought of putting into place programmes that could make transmission of such money more efficient through the banking system, while at the same time reducing the cost of doing so.

Currently, there is a programme known as the Real Time Transfer System which ensures that when money is deposited from any part of the world, it is immediately credited into a person’s account in India.

In the past, Indians who became citizens of other countries could not own land in India but this is now changing, helped by the concept of dual citizenship.

Dr Kapoor explained that many highly qualified Indian engineers, who had left the country many years ago to invest in the Silicon Valley, had now provided huge benefit to the world’s second fastest growing economy.

‘‘It’s precisely these people who are responsible for the entire outsourcing industry that developed in India about 10 years ago. These investors who went and established themselves in the Silicon Valley have now invested large amounts of money in businesses which are software and outsourcing related in India,” Dr Kapoor explained.

On how secure such investment was, Dr Kapoor said this had to be premised on political will and that assured all investors, regardless of their nationality, that their investments were safe.

This, though, needs to emanate from a mental mind shift that understands that people in the Diaspora belong, at heart, to their countries of origin.

Also appearing on the same programme as Dr Kapoor was Chisanga Puta-Chekwe, a lawyer who has been living in Canada for over 20 years.

‘‘Our instinct should be to look more to ourselves for solutions than from foreigners. We certainly should put in place a plan to wean ourselves off international aid and increase our ability to attract foreign direct investment as well as domestic investment,” Mr Puta-Chekwe said.

Mr Puta-Chekwe added that although he had been away from Zambia for so long, the connection was always deeper to one’s land of their birth and it was, thus, frustrating to see Zambia remain underdeveloped, 44 years after political independence.

‘‘It always hurts and the hurt never goes away. The sooner we open up our country, the sooner we become more respectful of the rights enshrined in our Constitution and the sooner we have that mindset that Dr Kapoor has been talking about, the better for all of us,” he said.

When Mr Puta-Chekwe left Zambia many years ago, he first settled in England from where he applied to be an independent immigrant in Canada.

It was not easy passing the stringent test of obtaining a residence permit in Canada.

‘‘There were difficulties settling down, but the system, broadly, was fair and one certainly felt that one’s professionalism was valued. I’m embarrassed to say I’ve had more recognition from Canada than from my own country,” he said.

Ghana

While some schools of thought may contend that Africans in the Diaspora are not on the same plane as India in as far as remitting significant amounts of money back home, Ghana is a shining example near home.

Mr Puta-Chekwe has been a keen follower of the Ghana experience, saying the West African state has benefited massively from its citizens based in the Diaspora since introducing dual nationality in 2003.

Around 2006, Ghana received about $6 billion in remittances from the Diaspora in sharp contrast to $400 million in 2002, a year before dual citizenship was espoused and at the end of last year, the figure was expected to soar to $8 billion.

‘‘Clearly, there’s a correlation between the ability of nationals abroad to remit money and their ability to acquire the citizenship of the country where they choose to practice their profession,” reasoned Mr Puta-Chekwe.

He explained that if one was a citizen of the country in which they practised their profession, they got access to better paying jobs than if they were not.

‘‘The sending country, in this case Zambia, actually benefits directly by allowing its nationals to become citizens of the countries where they do go because that increases the remittances from that country back to Zambia.”

Security risk

Despite the apparent enormous advantages to be derived from the concept of dual nationality, it has oftentimes been argued that it could be risky to trust a person whose allegiance is to two countries.

Dr Kapoor said that was the reason often cited by policy makers and was, for many years, used to deny people dual citizenship in India.

The feeling, he said, was that one could only pledge allegiance to one nation, but countries like the US and others had proven that that was merely a misconception.

‘‘If your roots are in India or in some other part of the world, part of you belongs there, and to say that you can only have allegiance to the country where you choose to practice your profession was probably misguided.

‘‘This is what led developed nations to allow multiple citizenship. So I would just say to policy makers to look at the experience of countries that have actually allowed dual citizenship and to ask the question: Has this, in any way, undermined their loyalty to the countries of their origin?”

Diaspora views

Zambia has a countless number of citizens living and doing fine overseas, and some of these did have chance to participate in the Let the People Talk programme either by phone or electronic mail.

The first was Chasaya Sichilima, chairperson of the Zambia-Canadian Association who has lived out of Zambia for 20 years, beginning with 13 years in England and the other seven in Canada.

Calling from London, Ontario, Mr Sichilima said Canada had made vast developments in many fields because it had harnessed the skills of people from different parts of the world.

On the issue of dual nationality, Mr Sichilima said: “It should have been done like yesterday. That’s how late we are. We have, as a country, lost out on our own people who have gone to apply their skills elsewhere.”

He explained that one of the chief reasons people acquired citizenship when they migrated was that it became easier for them to stay in those countries and have access to loans and certain jobs which they would not if they were merely residents.

Mr Sichilima urged the Zambian Government to utilise its citizens in the Diaspora as they had the capacity to contribute a lot more than the FDI coming into the country.

He said they did not necessarily need to be back in Zambia physically as they could contribute while being away.

‘‘We want a shift where the president and the Government begin to recognise and make efforts to ensure that the Diaspora becomes a prominent force.

‘‘We actually should be given the incentive to contribute even a lot more than foreign investors because our hearts are in Zambia, our minds are in Zambia,” he said.

A lot of Zambians, he said, were willing to help but needed a platform that could make them get even more rebates than those offered to foreign investors.

He cited Kenya as one country that had put in place a Diaspora Act which made it a lot easier for people to invest or acquire land and, as a result, the country was getting a lot more money from its nationals abroad than what came in from foreign investors.

Mr Sichilima advised the Government to consider opening Diaspora desks in all foreign missions to help Zambians access investment information without having to take a flight back home.

And Musaba Chailunga, from Toronto, in Canada said the Government should make use of the Diaspora and encourage them to invest in Zambia.

Mr Chailunga, who is the secretary of the Zambia-Canadian Association, and chairperson of the dual citizenship sub-committee, said the Government should re-think its stance on dual nationality as it was currently losing out.

‘‘The Government has to encourage people to send back money for them to be doing their own projects. There are a lot of Zambians who hold foreign citizenship.

‘‘One of the major motivators is to allow dual citizenship, because then they would know that their country thinks of them as they think of it,” he said.

Mr Chailunga said his sub-committee had already sent a petition to the NCC to consider recommending that the new Constitution allows for dual nationality.

Another Zambian who has been in Toronto for 10 years, Kaela Mulenga said the Government should recognise that it had a pool of human capital in the Diaspora, which could be used to make Zambia a better country.

From Oklahoma University in the United States, Heminigild Mpundu urged Zambian missions to take an active role in communicating not only with foreign investors but also Zambians.

He said it was unacceptable for Zambia to rank together with countries that had been at war for many years and yet it had a lot of its citizens doing well in the Diaspora.

Sharing the same view was Patrick Mumba, an architect and real estate manager from Christianfeld, Denmark. Mr Mumba, who has lived in Denmark for 20 years, went further to say Zambians in the Diaspora wanted to continue being a part of the country and should, therefore, be helped to participate in governance by retaining the right to vote even after migrating.

He called on the Government to come up with incentives that could attract investment from Zambians abroad.

‘‘Most of us people who work in the Diaspora earn a pension and these pensions are invested in funds here. I could imagine if the Government provided some incentives for us to save some of our pensions in things back at home.

‘‘We are talking about a whole lot of money, and that could go a long way in boosting our economic climate. If it can be done in Kenya, it can be done in Zambia, if it can be done in Ghana, it can be done in Zambia,” Mr Mumba said.

He said being part of the global village, Zambia could not afford to remain behind and Zambia should consider dual nationality as a priority.

And Charles Ng’andwe from Manchester in England, said with the world’s biggest economy in recession, Zambia had to pool all the resources it could, and the Diaspora was one such source.

He said the cost of doing business in Zambia was prohibitive, which was why it was difficult to bring in equipment, as duty was usually too high.

‘‘Even if you want to invest, where do you start from? Investment, in our understanding, has to come from Europe and the United States, and yet the Zambian economy can only be improved by we Zambians,” said Charles who has been in England for 13 years.

Others on the programme, co-presented and coordinated by Mr Sichilima were Simon Sakala, who, with his wife, has run a school teaching English in Tokyo, Japan for over 11 years, and Bright Chinganya, an accountant in Melbourne, Australia.

Enock Munachilala (Russia), Norman Chipakupaku (Scotland) Jones Mpakateni (Pakistan) Jacob Sakala, (Sheffield, England), Joseph Trigo (Australia) and Michael Chilando (Michigan, United States) emailed and were unanimous in their call for dual citizenship and being a chance to bring their skills and money back to Zambia.

World Bank’s role

The World Bank has realised that Africa has large numbers of people in the Diaspora who can provide not only financial but also human capital.

So it is engaging African governments to discuss how they can make the local environment more attractive for the Diaspora to contribute.

On whether the World Bank had already engaged the Zambian Government on the same issue, Dr Kapoor said the initiative had to come from Zambia.

‘‘We are here to provide examples from all over the world. If this is something the Zambian Government would like to engage us in, as the governments of Kenya and Ghana have done, we are happy to engage.

‘‘The speed at which this is done is dependent on the Zambian Government, but we are there to help.”

[Times of Zambia]

editor
editorhttp://www.lusakatimes.com

110 COMMENTS

  6. The people are the government so let the masses decide in a referendum.
    As for me, my mind is made up already. Born **==ian and die **==ian.

  12. Bloggers, we discussed this topic at lenght sometime last year ba Lt naimwe! so there is no need for me to start commenting on the same topic again and again! Boring stuff! next?

  17. Dual citizenship MUST be allowed. It does not punish anyone. Those who want to explore the world would have the ability to do so and help forge major collaborations links with other countries. Those who want to do business in Zambia and abroad can also take advantage of this situation. However, if you want to be president, you must denounce all other nationalities and only remain a Zambian national. The reasons are clear and this should be done at least FIVE good years before you contest the presidency.

  18. 14. Nine Chale

    ~o)~o) this is for you ok, dont give one to J.
    He is acting strange today, do you know what he has consumed.

  21. Ba Honey, Thanks for the ~o)

    I think you’re right. I also don’t know why Jmaco is acting so strange today. Maybe he feels ~X( after getting no :o) last night.

  25. Just allow dual citizenship. Its a Straight forward matter.
    Its impolite for the Zambian Government to deny Zambian citizenship to the son of the soil just because he has acquired another citizenship for the sake of convenience. What the Governmnt should know is that home is home and whether someone acquires citizenship of another his heart will always be in his root country – Zambia.:)>-

  29. #26 I understand your frustration. **== can really make you x( sometimes. Especially when you’re used to German efficiency.
    Just pipe down, things will definately work out well.:)>-

  30. “The World Bank has realised that Africa has large numbers of people in the Diaspora who can provide not only financial but also human capital.”

    Great realisation. Please GRZ, give them Zambians in the Diaspora Dual Citizenship.

    However, make sure that only someone who has lived consistently in Zambia for 10 years although they might have dual Citizenship to stand for Zambian President. Let the running mate for the Presidential Candidate also to be resident in Zambia for the same period continuously.

  32. The enactment of dual nationality laws is long overdue but unfortunately misunderstood by the government. The question of security raised by the government does not hold water as there is no evidence that citizens possesing dual nationality pose any particular threat. It is important to realise that denying Zambians this right results in lost opportunities for citizens (whether they choose to remain Zambian or not) and the country at large. According to The Economist, Zambia is ranked 4th highest on the list of countries affected by brain drain (the loss of skilled professionals to other countries). Dual nationality would make it easier for Zambia to benefit from such people.

  33. Also, let the Government of the Republic of Zambia encourage opening of new Small Businesses by putting a clause in the New Constitution that 20% of development projects government funds each year MUST be allocated to the NEW Small Businesses to operate in Research and Development.

    We need to utilise our UNIVERSITY Graduates to the fullest by allowing them to open companies in a friendly and yet competitive environment supported by the GRZ.

    The USA has such a clause in its constitution and this has helped to bring NEW JOBS to that country.

  35. Obvious answer for an obvious question. Zambia has lost many of it’s citizens through renounciation because of lack of dual citizenship, Especially the younger generation . It is worthwhile to note that the only people that were against dual nationality on lsktimes were the ‘come home and eat bondwe with us posse’, their reasons for rejecting it were very petty.

  37. Us Zedians in the Diaspora remit money to our relatives for school fees, buying cars etc. Can someone please convince me otherwise that when we assume dual-citizenship we will help solve issues like the Drainage problem in Lusaka through remitances ? Whilst it wouldnt be a bad idea but relying on it to bring some form of viable development is a “Pipedream”
    I need answers guys and I will accept whichever convinces me. I aint taking no sides here.

  44. #37 Ba Dr Maureen. The money remitted by Zambians in the diaspora usually goes directly to family and relatives. This is a way of ensuring that our money is spent on facing challenges close to our hearts. The enactment of dual nationality laws won’t necessary mean that government will rely on us to send money for infrastructural development. Rather, it would give government the incentive to help us use more beneficial means of making remittances. For instance, instead of paying western Union, why not encourage our banks to step in and reduce transaction costs? Cashflows from the diaspora are a major source of FOREX. E.g Kenya earns more FOREX from the diaspora than it does from tourism

  52. #43We can increase the number of competent hands and society can be transformed.eg new method of running institutions and council boroughs.those in security can help tackle crime.those in finance can help to put the records in order.Any country that losesher brains is on the road to extinction **==

  58. #27,
    Yes it does snow in Australia.
    There are some ski resorts in Eastern Victroia though the season is short. Really white snow and not X-mas time. Does that answer your question?.I hope this data is helpful. :-?:)>-:)>-

  59. Who selling the idea of dual citizenship?
    Zambia’s World Bank country representative, Kapil Kapoor.
    There you go again WORLD BANK.

    We will kiss good bye to ONE ZAMBIA ONE NATION.

    Then next thing they tell us is be world citizens,like obama.

  63. If Barack Obama was in Zambia, he would not have qualified to run for president. Why, because his father was not born in Zambia. Come on Zambia, allow dual nationality and modernise the whole nationality issue. Even our national football team will start doing well.

  68. KK’s government had an ACT called ‘Preservation of Public Security.’ I used to say ‘Preservation of Personal Security.’ He was protecting himself. Those who cite security issues on dual citizenship have personal and not national interests at heart. They reckon that the Zambians in diaspora will return with plane loads of money and buy votes (LPM hinted at this when he dismissed Prof Chirwa’s bid for MMD candidature.) This should not be the case. Most Zambians abroad have very little to gain from Zambia but Zambia has much to gain from them.

  69. Its long overdue – especially children from parents of different nationalities i.e Zambian / another nationality!!!! :((:((:((

  71. 69. Supporting!!!
    World Bank, World Bank, iam fed up of this.

    The Govt just want to make money from US, Surly if i was born in Zed, it should be up to me to decide weather i need the Dual Nationality or not.

    Most countries allow Dual and they also benefit from it.

  72. i wouldn’t hesitate investing in zed if this dual nationality issue was resolved. Just image if 100 zedians in diaspora were to start up small businesses employing 10 employees each, that would mean 1000 people getting employment and the government benefiting as well through PAYE!!

  73. Calling from London, Ontario, Mr Sichilima said Canada had made vast developments in many fields because it had harnessed the skills of people from different parts of the world.

    LONDON, ONTARIO ARE YOU SURE LT? WHERE IS ONTARIO IN LONDON? 8->I dont know#-o let me think:-?katwishi

  74. #73 Zondiwe
    London is in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Its one of those cases of two cities sharing a common name e.g Blantyre, Scotland and Blantyre Malawi or Boston, Massachusetts, USA and Boston, Lincolnshire, England.

  77. Someone is still sitting on this issue.., wonder why….

    Meanwhile, no pinch felt.. just pay the $50.US, visit and you are out.. It was a big pinch when you had to pay $250.

    :-?:-?:-w:-w

  79. Kingdoms and nationals are developed by creators and not photocopiers. 44 years after independence, we have very little to show for.

    The president recently endorsed the idea that evacuating his political officials to South Africa for specialist treatment is okay. All he has to do is issue an executive order to have one built or developed in the country. He can’t beat his own path but to trek a well trodden one. Shame upon you sir.

  80. The fact is the notion of looking at citizens living abroah=d with suspicion is old-type civics which was used a lot during the cold-war era as a way to minimise the possibility of somebody providing sensitive information to an enemy country. It was very much a post-war citizenship strategy that was relevant that time when countries had just emerged from the second world war. Now, in this era of ‘Global Village’ what’s the point of maintaining such a backward policy? Even Kaunda had no idea why he implemented the idea. He just copied it from Nyerere very blindly. It’s time to move on.

  82. I do agree with you Musi no.79, it is very disheartening that Zambia after 44years is still poor and if anything going backwards compaired to what it was before. The recycling of dull leaders like RB will never help anybody apart from encouraging corruption like what Dora is now doing.

    Shame! Zambia and away with cheap politics and lets look forward.I remember Bostswana as a very poor country getting Aid from Zambia, in the early 70’s but now it is a very different story. They know how to manage their wealth and reduced corruption.

  84. #83,
    I agree with you.
    sometimes it crosses my mind how street parking is very normal in some countries, whilst a car just left overnight in the street will be found on bended knees/red bricks in Zedi.

    Kanshi when are things going to change mwe bantu mwe?? 😮

  85. Yes it can :d/:d/:d/:d/:d/:d/

    Enshrine the clause in the Constitution, capwa, kwamana, kwasila! NCC you will have done the people of Zambeziland a blessing.

  86. Dual citizenship must be embranced in Zambia. Economically, the benefits can not be over emphasized! Diaspora revenue accounts for Mexico’s third GDP. For Zambia, I send in a month more money to dad than ZNS paid him for retirement after 20 years. Academically, if we stay, Zambia has no economic muscle to cater for and educate every citizen, let alone build enough schools, hospitals and other amenities. diaspos are developmental partners in all these areas. Their children too are bridges for world peace.
    We shall never rest till Zambia wakes up to embrance modernity!!

  87. |-)|-)wa did u say,:)]economically ok wen we bank in zed but bad if we bank outside for fear of being investigated back home,*-:)zambia has the mosted educated brains in diaspora this may encourage pipo to remain zambian even though ey in pluto for 10000000000yaers**==

  88. If you want Zambia to remain without citizens,then duo citizenship shoud not be allowed.Almost all developed countries allow dual citizenship.EG USA,Australia,Russia,France etc. Who will want to be in a prison called zambia? This is a free world. Let individuals choose where they want to spend their earthly eternity. Those who want to be zambians in and out,let them be.Those who want to denounce or renounce their zambian citizenship should do that, and those who want to be zambians and at the same time citizens of something else,let them do that.Human rights is the freedom to choose within the allowed range of choices.
    The Firm.

  89. Nosense! Only poor Africans live in diaspora. I know people who have been abroad and they have since returned to Zambia and they are doing just fine. God gave each person only one nationality. Period.

  92. One’s man meat is one’s man poison. Its a free world and everyone has a right to a choice that befits them!!!!!

    no one can speak/choose /decide for the other as no one lives another persons life.. period.

  93. #91

    Do not be usless, no human being has ever been given a biblical nationality. Is your brain so dilapidated that you do not know that borders and nations were created by imperialists in order to pillage african resources. There was no zambia 200 years ago. The eartn was never made to have imaginary boundaries that the eye cannot even see . If you want to isolate yourself geographically you might as well dig a hole and bury yourself.

  94. 91. Did you take even little grade seven history, grade nine civics and geography of Zambia?
    Man, the straight borders of Zambia, like other African countries, were created by Britain, France, Belgium, portugal, and generally by Europeans with no good, but selfish motives. Europeans scrambled and divided your land, and people followed suit! These divisions have brought untold misery to Africa-genocide of Rwanda and Sudan, apatheid in South Africa and Zimbabwe to date! Tell me any good thing out of those borders, and I will cite you endless senseless wars, all the reason why Africa must rethink, unit and redraw new borders

  95. #91,
    and it only becomes immoral if its illegal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Some people’s mentality need much to be desired. Sounds like someone who feels they can dig a tunnel to China using a spoon… dunderhead indeed. :o:o:-@:-@%-(%-(%-(

  96. I am for it. We as a nation can benefit greatly. There are so many Zambians who have gone abroad and changed nationality but still love their home land. With this dual citizenship they can come and go and even invest here without problems

  97. Most clever people have left Zambia so there is a need to recognise them by allowing dual citizenship. How do you explain when their children are declared foreigners by laws made by mostly MMD cadres?

  99. #97
    I totaly agree with you, for the love of your Children and a much longer life span, at the moment you a better off out of Zed until the situation is normal. at the moment the best Mediacal care is only for the inner circle,i.e the Politicians and a few boot lickers who bend their corrupt knees to a GOD with a small G in the evil house called State House of corruption. Please keep away from zambia until these Dull selfish so called leaders start serving the people not their pockets and their chosen few, end of story.

  102. When one of our children becomes the president of USA in future, then Zambia, like Kenya, will change the constitution, because then they can claim Obama as their own. Simple, they only want to benefit from the riches of USA. With selfish constitutions, Kibaki or Moyi would never have allowed the brilliant likes of OBAMA to contest for presidency in Kenya. You see how Kibaki had his own people matchet one another, and he could never resign, for the love of power, not his people. We saw Chiluba too going for a possible third term. Shame to Africa. Please change achaic laws, or will shall force you through international donors..!

  105. I do not understand why Zambia should continue “speaking english” on issues that have seen practical and beneficial to other counrtries. Security can not take priority in the economic crusade of our country. Insecurity can come from any source. Strategic management is about being different and make strong policies and defend them. It is our prayer that the Diaspora policy can be a reality soon.

    Alex from England

  106. In a lot of ways. Just try it and Zambia will do extremely well. Besides, it’s not everyone who renounced their citizenship in order to obtain citizenship of another country.

  107. I am passionate for Zed knowing that I have interest in my nation and governance but I am at the point of becoming a British just after writing a test which I have been postponeding due to my love for Zed. What can I do? My wife and daughter are both British but when I wanted to get a Zed passport for my girls they refused it is a shame!

  108. It will benefit many living in foregin places to invest more into zambia and therefore providing opportunities will benefit the economy a lot more if dual citizenship is allowed. After all where ever we are we still value where we come from HOME is WHERE THE HEART IS! Please, please introduce dual nationality.. 21st Cent. let it be

  109. It will benefit many living in foreign land to invest more into zambia and therefore providing opportunities will benefit the economy a lot more if dual citizenship is allowed. After all where ever we are we still value where we come from HOME is WHERE THE HEART IS! Please, please introduce dual nationality.

  110. I have read several excellent stuff here. Definitely value bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how so much effort you set to create the sort of wonderful informative website.

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