One longstanding aspect of AFFORD’s work has been to nurture ‘diasporic civil society ecosystems’, by which we mean supporting specific diasporic civil society organisations and creating and being part of wider networks of diasporic civic organisations, with these networks often spanning transnational borders. Alongside this organisational support AFFORD has also worked to provide a space for people of African heritage living in the UK to be part of the global development industry and provided pathways for people of African heritage into the global development industry.
“We look forward to a future in which the close links between the fate of Africans abroad and Africans in Africa are recognised and understood. We envision a future in which the communication, understanding and trust between Africans at home and abroad are such that all Africans envisage themselves as part of an integrated process of human development.”
AFFORD, 2014:3
This page contains documents relating to various ways in which AFFORD has supported the development of diasporic civil society for global development, particularly the different networks they have been involved in.
Archival material
The DEMAC network
AFFORD was one of three founders of the DEMAC project, which provided an opportunity to both highlight the role played by diasporic civil society as well as strengthen the capacity of diasporic civil society, particularly in relation to humanitarian emergencies.
In this 2016 report DEMAC explores the roles diasporic humanitarians play.
In 2016 DEMAC produced a toolkit for diaspora organisations to assist their humanitarian responses.
This 2017 report details the work of Somali diaspora communities in response to regional drought/crisis.
This report considers how different institutional actors can work with diasporic humanitarians.
This 2016 report details findings from the DEMAC project, including recommendations.
The MADE (Migration and Development Civil Society) network
MADE: The migration and development civil society network evolved out of years of GFMD organising and was launched in 2014, benefitting from initial co-funding from the European Union for three years.
This 2016 MADE report considers forms of diaspora investment for national development.
This 2018 report considers the implementation of migration related SDGs in Africa.
This 2018 MADE report looks at how migrants can be positively engaged in development.
MADE produced ‘Roadmaps’ to help understand the diaspora-development nexus.
Another MADE roadmap from 2020, this time focusing on the Sierra Leonean context.
The ADEPT network
AFFORD were also an implementer and secretariat of the ADEPT network, which aimed to assist African diaspora development organisations across the EU (plus Norway and Switzerland) to optimise their development engagement in Africa, professionalise their organisations and activities, create effective partnerships in Europe and Africa.
This provides an introduction to the work of the ADEPT network.
This 2017 booklet details examples of good practice.
In 2015 ADEPT produced this briefing on Diaspora-Development.
A guide to Diaspora office in Africa, produced by the ADEPT network.
This report considers diaspora groups as agents of development.