Government has commenced a consultative process aimed at enacting a new diaspora policy to meet the aspirations of Zambians living abroad.
Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba disclosed this during a media briefing held at the offices of the Zambian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York today.
Mr. Kalaba said the consultative meeting follows a directive from President Edgar Lungu for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to engage various stakeholders in formulating a national diaspora policy.
He said Government has listened to cries of Zambians living abroad regarding issues affecting their welfare hence the holding of the consultative forum with various stakeholders to adopt a new diaspora policy.
Mr. Kalaba has since urged all Zambians to read through the contents of the proposed diaspora policy and submit comments in order to make the consultative process inclusive.
The Foreign Affairs Minister said so far study tours to others countries like United States of America and United Kingdom have been to establish how they have come up with a diaspora policy that meets the wishes of its citizens living abroad.
Mr. Kalaba observed that in the past, Zambia has tried to review its diaspora policy but little has been achieved.
He however expressed confidence that the process started by the Government will succeed considering that a lot of stakeholders who include civil society organisations and Zambians in the diaspora have been involved in the consultative process.
The National consultative meeting will take place in Lusaka from the 7th to 9th October, this year.
With immediate effect enact a law that qualifies former Zambians their spouses and siblings permanent resisidence, so that that they can can come and go as frequently as they wish, stay as long as they wish, and even work. See/evaluate how this works before taking the plunge for dual citizenship
when did Newy york become diaspora ????
As long as you remove politics out of it. We are too political in Zambia for nothing and this extends to the diaspora where all people can think of is forming branches of political parties in other countries. Can we not think of things can help other people, things that can create jobs or promote tourism or investment if possible? The failure for us to develop over time is purely of our own making.
Does GRZ even know roughly how many zambians are in diaspora??
Just get on with it instead of dragging the issue, you are waisting GRZ funds.
People in the diaspora have been identified as a potential cash cow by the cash strapped PF government and they are desperate to get to that potential cash! Instead of sending cash to their relatives, the diasporians will be asked to send huge sums of cash to the PF government in preparation for the 2016 elections. Diasporians cash will replace all those Eurobonds!! And the funny thing is that some of these people don’t realize that they are being duped by the violent PF government.