Diaspora Engagement and Local Development
Because diasporas across the world hold untapped potential to support inclusive local development, civic engagement, and cross border socio-economic change
Diaspora communities carry financial capital, professional expertise, cultural fluency, civic commitment, and trusted relationships across countries of origin and migration. Diaspora engagement initiatives can strengthen local development when they connect people, institutions, and opportunities across borders in ways that are inclusive, practical, and accountable.
Soltara works with development programmes, donors, municipalities, diaspora organisations, and civic actors to design, evaluate, and strengthen diaspora engagement strategies in Europe, North America, and countries of origin. We support network creation, multi-stakeholder dialogue, and structured engagement between diaspora actors, local institutions, SMEs, civil society, and development partners.
We help programmes channel diaspora knowledge, investment, mentorship, and capacity-building opportunities toward inclusive SME development, civic participation, and local economic resilience across borders. Our work includes mapping stakeholders, identifying barriers to participation, designing consultation tools, and translating evidence into practical programme design, monitoring and learning frameworks, and partnership strategies.
We work with industry leaders, regional associations, and migrant networks to expand access, strengthen rights, support dignified work, that creates meaningful opportunities for women, migrants, youth, and underrepresented groups.
What do I walk away with?
Diaspora engagement analysis, stakeholder maps, consultation tools, MEL indicators, logframe revisions, partnership models, and practical recommendations for inclusive cross-border development.
Proof: AFFORD UK
For AFFORD UK, Soltara led a collaborative study across five countries— Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and The Gambia — examining how diaspora actors based in the UK and Europe engage in entrepreneurship, investment, and employment creation. We engaged stakeholders across Africa, the UK, and Europe and translated findings into actionable programme recommendations for inclusive diaspora investment and local development. With Mujeres Diasporas (Spain), Soltara provided advocacy expertise on the experiences of women migrants in Barcelona.
Who is this relevant for?
Diaspora-linked development programmes; international donors investing in West Africa, MENA, and the Mediterranean; organisations designing SME support and enterprise development initiatives; policy actors working on migration, diaspora, and inclusive economic development.