The general lack of any comprehensive database or profile of Namibians in the Diaspora makes it difficult to ascertain their living conditions and well-being.

This was the concern raised by the Executive Director in the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, Ambassador Penda Naanda, addressing a three-day workshop on the development and implementation plan for Namibia's diaspora policy at Swakopmund.

Naanda says no accurate data currently exists on the number of Namibians living abroad.

However, a study conducted in 2013 by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs indicates there were 137,498 Namibians living abroad.

The majority live in South Africa, followed by Zambia and the USA.

Ambassador Naanda says this data is not conclusive and more accurate information is needed, hence the need for the government to establish a policy that would enhance engagement between various Namibian institutions and citizens in the Diaspora.

"The development of the Namibia Diaspora Policy represents, if I may say so, a quantum leap in the way Namibia perceives the importance of the Namibian Diaspora and how best to engage and involve the Diaspora community. Our wish is therefore to have our Namibians in the diaspora become a potent force in our socio-economic and cultural development through not only their remittances but also through the promotion of trade, investment research, innovation, knowledge, and technology transfer."

He says that the country has a shortage of critical skills, and the Diaspora Policy will seek to complement the National Migration Policy, the National Labour Migration Policy, and its Action Plan.

"As a government, it is our obligation to do more to create opportunities through specific actions for the Namibians in the diaspora by identifying goals, mapping diaspora location and skills, fostering a relationship of trust, maintaining sophisticated means of communication, and ultimately encouraging the Namibians in the diaspora to engage in economic development, thus contributing to national development."

Also speaking at the occasion was the International Organisation for Migrations' Regional Director for the Multi-Sectorial Technical, Ashraf Elnour.

"The younger, second- and third-generation diaspora remains a relatively untapped resource for engaging with their communities of origin. Financial engagement with migrant communities abroad is often equated with remittances, and there are not many examples of successful engagement with the diaspora for the purpose of investment in their communities of origin."