The Zimbabwe government on Thursday launched the Promoting Migration Governance in Zimbabwe (PMGZ) project aimed at supporting the development of improved migration policies and frameworks, among other things.
The multi-year project is being done in conjunction with the European Union (EU) and the International Organisation for Migration.
The PMGZ was conceived after the realisation that Zimbabwe had witnessed multiple and complex migration over the years, characterised by high levels of cross-border mobility, brain drain, human trafficking and mixed migration flows.
Other targets of the project include strengthening institutional capacity to deal with challenges posed by migration, while also enhancing participation of Zimbabweans in the diaspora in national development initiatives.
Speaking at the launch, Foreign Affairs permanent secretary Joey Bimha said Zimbabwe had already adopted a national diaspora policy, as part of strategies to strengthen migration governance.
"As part of operationalising the policy (diaspora policy), a national diaspora directorate has been set up in the ministry of Macro-Economic Planning and Investment Promotion to spearhead and co-ordinate the process of diaspora engagement and their participation in national development," he said.
"Similarly, the government is in the process of finalising the national labour migration policy, which, among other things, will formalise labour migration and strengthen its governance."
Bimha said plans were also underway to put in place a national immigration policy.
"(It will) save multiple and inter-related objectives of ensuring and facilitating national security, employment of recruited foreign nationals, tourism and investment promotion."
Speaking at the same occasion, EU ambassador to Zimbabwe, Phillippe van Damme re-affirmed the bloc's support for Zimbabwe's efforts to deal with challenges emanating from migration.
"Together, the EU and UN system, we stand by Zimbabwe in its efforts to establish a governance framework that allows state actors to manage migration in dialogue with non-state actors," he said.
"The project works on developing policy in three key areas; labour migration, immigration and diaspora policy including the formalisation of remittances and how to make the best use of remittances."
- New Ziana
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