Diaspora Matters

Posted by : Mai Anashe Tagwirei

1. Find something that you can do that doesn’t need you to import but to produce with local materials

2. Find something that you can be exporting

3. Dont sell any of your assets now.

When was the town house built?

Answer A : 1830

Answer B: 1880

Answer C: 1900

Answer D: 1932

Answer E: 1980

Congrats to Malawi once again!

Expect this page to feature general investment advice targeting the Diaspora Community. I will provide at least 2 investment ideas per month and last week I gave you advice on Water Parks, this weekend we are still in the Entertainment Sector and look at Westgate or Mashonaland East.

So Westgate Shopping Centre does not have a pub and iam basing this information on my last visit to this shopping mall 2 months ago. There has been no pun/club at this Old Mutual owned property for several years and we don’t know why. The last popular pub at this mall is Megga 2 which later on relocated to Hatfield. Since the departure of Megga 2, no one has come to open a new pub at this busy shopping mall.

Still on the entertainment sector have you visited Paramount yet? Paramount is the ‘place to be’ in Harare. The open air venue was opened a few months ago and has already become a hit. Getting parking space after 7:00pm during the weekends is a difficult task. Hararians are flocking to this new joint in huge numbers. It looks like Mereki, Zindoga and Kwa Farai have been overtaken by Paramount. The huge numbers of people flocking this place shows that business opportunities exist in Harare especially on the Entertainment sector-vanhu havasi kurega kufara despite economic challenges!

So if you are a Diasporan who will be back home in December here is a tip.. Visit Mereki, Zindoga, Kwa Farai, Mutangadura, Ziko, Megga 2 and then Paramount. Do analyse trends from these areas and consider opening your own place near Westgate along Harare Chirundu Road. Hakuna open air nzvimbo yemafaro direction ye Westgate, so ukashaya nzvimbo pa Old Mutual owned mall, then usanetseke zvakanyanyisa-enda a few kilometres near Mt Hampden and establish a good venue that is family friendly like Paramount and Megga 2.

All the best

After the collapse of the MMM Ponzi scheme, another one is in the oven-Bitcoin Ponzi scheme. The Bitcoin is already spreading like wildfire in East and West Africa regions. It is still to make an impact in Southern Africa but we expect it to reach full scale by March 2017.

Its operation should be straight forward-One pays a joining fee and you get paid by referring other members to join. High interest returns being given to investors before the scheme collapses.

Do check out adverts already circulating in West Africa.

Good morning investors- Locals and Disporans, so this morning we will cover investment opportunities along the Harare-Mutare Highway and a good opportunity that awaits potential investors is a Stop Over!

At the present moment there is only one place called Highway which is pictured above. The place is however not doing enough to attract travellers. There are few places along this busy highway where motorists can stop and relax. You can compare and contrast with the Harare-Masvingo highway where one can stop at the Mutendi stop over, Chivhu or the beautiful Mvuma stop over. When travelling along the Mutare-Harare highway-kungori kuhamba basi pasina pekumira panodakadza-there is no family friendly place or truck inn and yet there are a lot of travellers that use this highway.

So to investors especially diasporans, hewo mukana!

Good day good people. This is a message from one of our brothers, let’s help him out ideas. This is his problem:

I need some business advice from the forumites. I have saved $600 and would want some advice on the best way I could use it to generate interest. What are the available business ventures that I can embark on that will also give a healthy return on my investment/savings?

Thank you in advance.

Ad Mire Prime Makusha selling bulk fish in places like Bulawyo, Gwanda etc can generate %20 return a week after costs thats $120, i think that is fair inbox me if you want to know more

Connie Kudzai Sango it depends also on your location. Fish farming is coming up too. you can start with just one pond and then grow from there

Mai Anashe Tagwirei yes, lake harvest is selling fish $55 for 1000 fish

Justice Magagani Anita any idea how long it takes to get the fish upto harvest? what type of fish do they have? cost of feed from start to finish dazzle us with knowledge my dear?

Richard Chashamba Ad Mire Prime Makusha please go deeper on the fish in terms of source, costs, transport, market etc

Pataida Denise Jaji start perfumery 300 percent profit,/week Open cheque

Yusuf Dulana Go deeper on perfumery pj

Pataida Denise Jaji @yusufu 4000r makes400 bootrles of 30mls of generic perfume oil based ,cocom, lady m,millions man etc

Pataida Denise Jaji myself l went to school and am doing great, git the Mannual WTh every detail that uncludes roll on making, lition making and the suppliers of chemicals, was thinking if l find ten people vane hasha we do the 10ml one dollar deak ceate our Iwn network system just like Avon, avaroy Shlain, Angel,WTh network system we make a lot of money myself am selling the, 10mk @76c stock price the demand is higher than supply lbcant meet the orders t, myself

Pataida Denise Jaji myself l went to school and am doing great, git the Mannual WTh every detail that uncludes roll on making, lition making and the suppliers of chemicals, was thinking if l find ten people vane hasha we do the 10ml one dollar deak ceate our Iwn network system just like Avon, avaroy Shlain, Angel,WTh network system we make a lot of money myself am selling the, 10mk @76c stock price the demand is higher than supply lbcant meet the orders t, myself

Christo Zuk U saved that money wth a target and aiming 4 something. Firstly wat z that u were aiming for?

Rawlings Kofi You can join Rabbit Breeders and Producers Association for training, development and market for rabbits.

Kudzanai Tsatsire it takes time to build and secure wealth especially from as little as 600. My advice, save a bit more and decide wat type of business you want to venture into. that savings is hard I guess so rather choose a less volatile market to invest in but in any business low risk low returns. if you require a stable establishment that MAY grow over time then I think you might need a solid business plan and use that $600 for the costs you can not offset while seeking other investors.

What made China the world’s factory? What made India the world’s technology hub? What made Israel a leading innovation centre? Connecting with their diasporas in the United States.

Today the world is more globalized, interconnected and interdependent than ever before. The recent economic crisis that has been besieging the world shows us that is it no longer possible for any nation state to consider itself an ‘island’, nor is it possible to be immune to the ebbs and flows of global economics.

In order to be able to fully leverage this globality, it is essential that countries design and implement comprehensive diaspora strategies for engaging with their global citizens and friends. The size of a country’s populace can no longer be calculated within the contours of its borders, rather it must be viewed through the global lens of migration

diaspora.’ As noted by Dolman ‘The past few decades have seen rapid growth in the movement of goods and factors of production. The volume of international trade grew twice as fast as world output during the 1990s and the volume of foreign direct investment (FDI) grew twice as fast as trade. Economies are rapidly integrating and becoming more closely dependent upon each other. The international movement of people is an important feature of this integrated global economy and encompass those who are defined as ‘the diaspora.’ As noted by Dolman ‘The past few decades have seen rapid growth in the movement of goods and factors of production. The volume of international trade grew twice as fast as world output during the 1990s and the volume of foreign direct investment (FDI) grew twice as fast as trade. Economies are rapidly integrating and becoming more closely dependent upon each other. The international movement of people is an important feature of this integrated global economy.’

Considering the diaspora as a national asset is certainly not a new phenomenon. Diaspora strategies that extend across a range of social, cultural, political, educational and financial dimensions are now being implemented by both developing countries and developed countries, including New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Israel, Ireland and India, to name but a few.

Boyle and Kitchin define a diaspora strategy as ‘an explicit and systematic policy initiative or series of policy initiatives aimed at developing and managing relationships between homelands and diasporic populations. These policy initiatives vary from highly formalized and structured programs to projects that are quite light in conception and application. A diaspora strategy is perhaps best thought of then as an overarching framework for providing a level of coherence to the range of diaspora policies devised and implemented by a variety of agencies.’2 Although there can be many facets to a country’s diaspora strategy, it can be said that, by and large, countries tend to pursue similar initiatives, with much in common in terms of philosophy and approach but there is no ‘one size fits all’ diaspora strategy. Obviously countries differ greatly in terms of their macroeconomic circumstances, the history of their diaspora, their size, geography and general resources to successfully pursue a diaspora strategy. Also, as many of these initiatives have been enacted recently it is too soon to assess them fully. Moreover, it has been purported that ‘many diaspora programs are ‘living dead’ – they are not failures and they generate enough interest to maintain their funding, yet their development impact is very limited.’3 However, the fundamental difference between those countries that will ultimately succeed and those that will fall short of expectations lies in one thing only – excellence in execution.

Understanding the basics

Who?: Governments around the world should begin to think about their diasporas in new ways and seek to build mutually beneficial relationships and partnerships with them. Rather than viewing them as being ‘lost’ to the homeland, they can re-engage with the homeland through strategic diaspora initiatives such as formal mentoring programs, investment and trade programs, and cultural initiatives. They do not need to return in order to make a difference.

Why?: Global diasporas constitute an obvious collective of people through whom networks can be created and individuals mobilized for mutual benefit of both diasporas and the home country.

How?: Global diasporas serve as an important conduit, facilitating the two-way flow of capital. That capital presents itself in every form be it human, social, intellectual, cultural or financial. Looking at capital flows alone, the transfer of funds in the form of remittances, bonds, philanthropy or business investment is massive by any scale, and growing.

*Information Obtained from the Global Diaspora Toolkit by Kingsley Aikins and Nicola White. We will be summarising chapters  from this toolkit every Thursday Evening.