The Government of Botswana has expressed interest in adopting the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) model of diaspora engagement, describing it as a benchmark for strengthening ties with citizens living abroad and leveraging them for national development.
Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, stated that effective diaspora engagement must be built on intentionality, trust, communication and strategic planning.
She made this known while receiving a Botswana delegation led by Mr. Dikgang Phillip Makgalemele during a study tour of the Commission in Abuja.
Represented by the Secretary to the Commission, Dr. Sule Yakubu Bassi, Dabiri-Erewa said African nations were increasingly recognising the importance of their diaspora communities as critical partners in the continent’s socio-economic transformation.
According to her, stronger collaboration between Africans on the continent and those in the diaspora would help generate innovative solutions capable of reviving Africa’s economic fortunes and advancing collective development goals.
She urged African governments not only to create opportunities for diaspora participation but also to encourage their citizens abroad to return home and invest in their countries.
The NiDCOM boss noted that Nigeria, through the Commission, has implemented several initiatives aimed at engaging and empowering Nigerians abroad, currently estimated at over 18 million people.
She listed some of the initiatives to include the Nigerian Diaspora Investment Summit, National Diaspora Day and National Diaspora Merit Awards, Diaspora Housing Scheme, Badagry Door of Return Festival, Diaspora Medical Outreaches, Presidential Diaspora Town Hall Meetings, and the establishment of the Diaspora Research Institute at the University of Ibadan.
Other initiatives, she said, include the creation of State Diaspora Focal Point Officers, the enactment of the NiDCOM Act, formulation of the National Diaspora Policy, as well as partnerships with professional and non-political diaspora groups.
Dabiri-Erewa also invited Botswana to participate in the Global Nigeria Investment Summit scheduled to hold in Canada in August 2026.
She reiterated that many Nigerians living abroad remain eager to contribute to national development through investments and other forms of support.
The NiDCOM chairman further stressed the need for Nigerians in the diaspora to help reshape the country’s global image by countering negative narratives often promoted by foreign media.
However, she identified inadequate funding, unresolved diaspora voting issues and insufficient office accommodation as major challenges confronting the Commission.
Speaking earlier, Mr. Dikgang Phillip Makgalemele, Executive Chairperson of the Institute for Development Practitioners (I4DP), commended Nigeria’s proactive approach to diaspora engagement and praised Dabiri-Erewa’s leadership in reconnecting Nigerians abroad with their homeland.
Makgalemele, a former Botswana Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture, said Botswana intends to replicate the Nigerian model as part of efforts to strengthen diaspora relations and investment opportunities in the country.
He disclosed that Botswana plans to host its first Trade and Investment Forum next year to attract members of its diaspora community from across the world and explore investment opportunities.
The Botswana delegation’s visit brings to nine the number of countries and regional bodies that have undertaken study tours of NiDCOM, including Ethiopia, Egypt, Tanzania, Namibia, Ghana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Korea and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
