Migration and policymaking initiatives as appeals to national crises: The Zimbabwean case

Abstract

Migration and policymaking questions have become topical issues in regional and international debates, conferences and policies. In July 2010, the Zimbabwean government in consultation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) enacted the National Migration Management and Diaspora Policy (NMMDP) to harness the fundamental and meaningful contributions by the diaspora population to national development in exchange of citizenship rights (of voting in the diaspora). Government line ministries linked to the policy were tasked at soliciting for ways to end the Zimbabwean migration and diaspora crisis. It is unfortunate that the resultant policy failed to identify and outline how a plethora of migration causes were going to be addressed. This article thus basically critiques the Zimbabwe government policy document on migration and development (NMMDP), arguing that the policy is elitist, ineffective and self-defeating, insofar as it is based more on maintaining foreign remittances from diaspora residents without addressing the causes of migration and other needs. This article also briefly discusses the negative impacts of market based social relations that help undermine the traditions and cultures of the African people. This article thus calls for an inclusive and democratic approach to policymaking, arguing that the migration policy initiatives will remain unproductive as long as migrants’ experiences are not considered and highlighted in the process. This concurs with the current global socio-economic and political set ups, emphasizing on human freedoms, participation, human movement, job search and settlement, a new phenomenon on national and international development concerns. Key words: National migration management and diaspora policy (NMMDP), human development, labor migration, diaspora, migrants.