Diaspora Engagement for Internationalization of African Higher Education: Are Challenges of Public Institutions Opportunities for the Private Sector?

Abstract

The concept and study of diaspora has remarkably evolved in the past three decades. Since the mid-1990s it has departed from its classic orientation of examining the ethnic, social and cultural elements of the identities of immigrant communities to analyzing the nature and role of the relationship those communities have with their countries of origin (Dufoix, 2011). The attention given to the issue, mainly by international development agencies in early 2000s, further introduced a new dimension to the area of study: the nexus between migration and development. Particular emphasis was given to the outflow and reclaim of skilled human capital through engagement schemes. As such ‘diaspora engagement’ became a common phrase in the lexicon of policy at national, regional and international levels (Mangala, 2017). Africa’s shift of narrative from brain drain to diaspora engagement is encapsulated by AU’s move to recognize the diaspora as “the sixth region of Africa” (Kamei, 2011; AU, 2012). This has created robust opportunity for the participation of African diaspora in the broader development efforts of the continent. Within this context, the limited level of engagement of African academic diaspora with institutions of the continent has started to pick (Zeleza, 2004, 2013). Nonetheless, the common frontier of diaspora engagement in public higher education institutions is challenged by multiple factors. Taking these challenges as a point of departure and drawing on data from Ethiopia, this paper explores the opportunities for private higher education institutions to better engage the academic diaspora as mediators and investors to improve internationalization.