Government Seeks Diaspora Input for Investment Feedback and Policy Revision

The Kenyan government is seeking input from Kenyans living abroad as it develops two major initiatives - the Kenya Diaspora Investment Strategy and the Kenya Diaspora Policy 2024.

The State Department for Diaspora Affairs is preparing a Diaspora Investment Strategy to raise awareness of investment opportunities in Kenya for the diaspora community. Through an online survey, the department gathers views on challenges, opportunities, and potential incentives related to diaspora investment. The survey covers topics such as current investments in Kenya and abroad, preferred sectors, regulatory hurdles faced, information sources on opportunities, and membership in diaspora associations or investment groups.

It seeks to identify what would encourage greater diaspora investment, better transparency, improved infrastructure, tax incentives and more. The goal is to understand the diaspora perspective and craft policies and initiatives that remove obstacles and facilitate investment from Kenyans overseas into economic development in their home country. In a separate but related effort, the government recently released a draft Kenya Diaspora Policy 2024 to update and expand on the 2014 diaspora policy. The new policy aims to better protect the interests of Kenyans abroad, engage and empower the diaspora, and enable their prosperity.

Key objectives include enhancing diaspora diplomatic representation, facilitating investment and trade, leveraging diaspora remittances for development, and creating an enabling environment for diaspora return and reintegration. The government is inviting the diaspora community to review the draft policy document and submit feedback through an online survey to enrich the final version before enactment. By proactively consulting the Kenyan diaspora, the government hopes to develop a comprehensive strategy and legal framework that unlocks the full potential of this crucial population in contributing to the nation's economic growth and prosperity.

Kenyans abroad are encouraged to make their voices heard by participating in these surveys on the links below.

Kenya Diaspora Investment Strategy bit.ly/4apeMZd
Draft Kenya Diaspora Policy 2024 survey.zohopublic.com/zs/zDBTbF