Dire Dawa Administration Diaspora coordination Directorate organized a discussion forum with stakeholders who are working on community services in the Administration. Coordination and focus is needed to engage more the Diaspora in the community services, it was learned.
W/ro Muluka Mehamed, Head for Dire Dawa Administration Education Bureau, stated, opening the discussion forum, that it has previously not been worked on identifying gaps and problems in community development as well as coordinating the Diaspora to engage with its capacity and skills in development projects. But now, all stakeholders should work hand in glove to use the opportunity to development the community.
The Dire Dawa Administration Diaspora coordination Directorate Director, Ato Aklile Tatek on his part explained that Ethiopian and Ethiopian Born Diasporas in the Overseas are recently contributing much on the nation’s Development; they are especially contributing on the two main Development projects-Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and Dine for Nation. He reported that they contributed 22.6 million birr for Dine for Nation project within half of this current budget year collecting from Ethiopian and Ethiopian Born Diasporas abroad.
It was planned to collect15, 260,453 USD or more than 550 million Birr in the past five years (2008-2012e.c); 90 million Birr was collected in Dire Dawa within six months of this budget year. A report from Investment commission revealed that 580 Diasporas came to Dire Dawa from 1998 to 2012e.c; 234 got Investment license and 78 of them got in to operation that created permanent and temporary job opportunities for 2,276 Residents in the Administration with 2.2 Billion Birr Investment.
During the discussion forum, a Presentation was delivered which shows those Below-standard Schools in the Rural Kebeles and participants forwarded ideas and comments that the Diaspora should engage not only in profitable areas but on community services to carry out social responsibility. At last, they agreed to meet again after developing projects by conduct community services Need Assessment.
