TIRANA, March 3 – The government published a project aiming to involve the Albanian diaspora in the country’s social and economic development this week, in particular by collecting aids for Albanian migrants and diaspora representatives to help the country’s economy and society evolve.
Independent experts, however, are skeptic when it comes to the functionality of such initiatives, saying the social and economic reality of the country points in the opposite direction.
According to State Minister for the Diaspora Pandeli Majko, from the big number of Albanians abroad, a big part is made up of quality educated people who could consider investing in their motherland.
He added the launching of these program can be very positive for Albania, as the country’s diaspora and migrants represent the country’s unused wealth.
Economy and social experts, on the other hand, have pointed out the way Albanian migrants have and should continue contributing, especially now that a lot of families were cut off social assistance, is through the remittances sent in solidarity to help relatives and family back home.
The program is supported by the country’s ministry of foreign affairs, the International Migration Organization (IMO) and the Italian Cooperation and embassy in the country.
In this context, vice Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Etjen Xhafaj said the foreign ministry will engage in promoting social and economic development programs, while Italian ambassador in Albania Alberto Cutillo said attracting intellectuals and business oriented people back to Albania should be of benefit for both sides of the Adriatic.
“Though Albanian business might look small, they are very important and should be supported, many of those people have been or are being educated in Italy, while another big part brings hundreds of thousands of euros in cash remittances back to Albania.
Planned to launch a multitude of programs, the most recent one will focus on Albanian excellency students in Italy who will receive support by the Albanian government to bring their business ideas to life.
While the National Diaspora Agency is expected to open this week and the law for the diaspora to be approved in parliament, the entire Albanian community will be involved in the excellency students program with the help of a pilot project launched by the Italian government.
The diaspora law is to include a diaspora fund approved by the government which will be linked to foreign investments in Albania.
Despite skepticism, researchers and experts alike have long noted the brain drain Albania is going through, highlighting the youth leaving Albania today is mostly highly educated, as opposed to the unskilled and under qualified majority that migrated during the transition period of the 90s.
For this reason, successful investments from educated Albanian migrants and diaspora success stories would be highly beneficial, especially since experts are pointing to a worsened business climate that is hindered by insecurity, corruption, bribery and criminality, all of which have led to a decline in foreign direct investments.
