Jigjiga, Ethiopia: Engaging the Diaspora to Boost City Development

The Diaspora Engagement for City Development project helped the Ethiopian Somali regional and local governments to mainstream diaspora engagement in policies, development plans, and approaches to better leverage the important role the diaspora plays in local development. The project produced a comprehensive profile of the diaspora, strategies for engagement, and capacity building for local governments to implement the strategies. In Jigjiga Cities Alliance cooperated with Jigjiga University and the Regional Investment and Diaspora Affairs Bureau of the Regional Government Council of the Ethiopian Somali Region.

The Diaspora Engagement for City Development project is part of the Cities Alliance Global Programme for Cities and Migration, which focuses on migration management in secondary cities in low-income countries and is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

The video follows people from the city explaining the importance of the diaspora community when it comes to financial support. A pilot project of the Jigjiga City Administration educated over 1,200 people - half of them women - on economic subjects.