By KENNEDY MUPESENI –
THE inclusion of dual nationality in the amended Constitution has cheered critical stakeholders in the economy.
The stakeholders are saying the inclusion of this particular provision would bring a lot of economic benefits.
Zambia Institute of Transparency and Accountability (ZITA) founder member Nsumbila Mbolela is confident that the new clause will provide an opportunity for qualified and skilled people in the diaspora to return and invest in their country of birth.
Mr Mbolela says now that the country has transitioned to dual nationality ,the ministries of Finance and Commerce, Trade and Industry, along with the Bank of Zambia (BoZ), should craft a piece of legislation to encourage people living abroad to transfer capital and other assets into depository institutions.
He says this will help meet the needs of communities around the country, adding that is how the Chinese paid off their International Monetary Fund (IMF) debt.
ZITA is a Zambian think tank and a non-profit organisation based in Canada.
Its mission is to promote public debate and awareness on issues of good governance, democracy, and free and fair market economy in Zambia and Africa as a whole.
Mr Mbolela said as for contractors and engineers, dual citizenship will impact positively on the economy, thereby increasing the number of local contractors.
Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors (ABCEC) president Michael Nyirenda says the inclusion of dual nationality will mean increased number of contractors as some of the foreign contractors will get the Zambian citizenship.
This is despite some of them operating in the country for more than 50 years and yet they were still being treated as foreigners.
“With the coming of the new clause, we expect to see an increase in local construction companies with the hope that owners may get the Zambian citizenship,” Mr Nyirenda says.
Policy Monitoring and Research Centre (PMRC) is of the view that to realise maximum benefits, there is need to strengthen the diaspora engagement policy.
PMRC executive director Bernadette Deka says the amendment had set a foundation for a dynamic diaspora policy to be concluded and implemented.
“This engagement policy will facilitate for Zambians living in the diaspora to participate effectively in the development of the nation,” Ms Deka says.
She hopes that Government would further harmonise all related legislation to prevent policy or legislative fragmentation and conflicts to tap the economic potential from the diaspora.
“It is a fact that dual citizenship will allow for skills and knowledge transfer in various fields especially medical research and technology.
“The country will also have a competitive advantage as it strives to place individuals in international organisations to bolster the nation’s foreign policy and general international profile,” Ms Deka says.
From the general policy direction, she advises the Government to work with the private sector and other stakeholders to expedite development of the policy.
Last year a national representation for the 2015 National Consultative Forum for the Diaspora Policy Formulation (NCFDPF) indaba was held.
The participation was drawn from a multiplicity of stakeholders who included Zambians living in Kenya, South Africa, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, United States of America (USA), England and Australia, among others.
Representatives from various Government ministries, specifically, Foreign Affairs, Commerce, Trade and Industry as well as the ministry of Lands, the Immigration Department, the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA), and BoZ were also present.
Ms Deka says during deliberations, valuable experiences and lessons were drawn from Ghana and Kenya and it was clear that the Government would work with the private sector and other stakeholders to expedite development of the policy.
The country can significantly benefit from the untapped economic potential of Zambians living in the diaspora through remittances of money, capacity building, investment partnerships, skills and
knowledge to boost economic development.
PMRC head of monitoring and evaluation Salim Kaunda described Zambians in the diaspora as “national assets” in contributing to the country’s economic development.
“The country received over US$59 million in 2007 in remittances from its diaspora through normal channels, but estimates show that the total flow of remittances both through formal and informal channels were $200 million which accounted for 1.8 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” Mr Kaunda says.
Zambia’s remittances in 2013 totalled approximately $126 million through formal and informal means compared to $288 million of the 2013 budget expected to be derived from aid.
He says increasing remittances could reduce aid dependency and possibly enable the country to be self-sufficient.
Countries like Kenya and Nigeria receive over $1.758 billion and $10.045 billion, respectively, as diaspora remittances after the respective countries formulated policies to attract the diaspora.
Before putting in place diaspora policies in both Kenya and Nigeria, the countries used to receive $538 million and $1.063 billion, respectively.
There is need to introduce diaspora offices in missions abroad to orchestrate the development and implementation of initiatives which are aimed at unlocking Zambia’s diaspora and establish a “Zambians in the diaspora database”  to offer information on the diaspora and joint initiative opportunities.