We are Ikenna Osuorji, Anthony Dike, and George Konuwa, Master’s students studying International Relations at Tallinn University, School of Governance, Law, and Society. We recently completed our four-month internship program at Think Africa, where we mainly conducted research, exploring the challenges and opportunities of diaspora participation in home elections: the case of Nigeria. We also got to participate in a number of different programs . In this post, we share our experiences and learnings over the period of our internship.
As one of the compulsory prerequisites to completing our program, we engaged many friends in the possibility of getting internship opportunities in the field of International Relations. A colleague who had her bachelor’s internship program with Think Africa shared positive stories about the organization and recommended we apply. We did an online check and found that Think Africa has the motive of promoting and sharing realistic images and stories to break stereotypes and improve collaboration, representation, integration, and participation among Africans in the diaspora. These motives aligned with our plans for the internship program. In all of these, the opportunity to contribute our quota to the African continent from the diaspora was most appealing to us.
Working as interns at Think Africa for a period of four months broadened our horizons and expanded our worldview in the areas of research, NGO internal workings, collaborations with like-minded people in the field of state electoral affairs, and how electoral systems can enhance better governance and citizenry participation in Africa. We met many resourceful people in the Thursday lounge sessions, where meaningful discussions were centered on Africa/world relations and how Africans in the diaspora can be good ambassadors on the global stage.
Among the things that we got involved in was the awareness of the Independence days of African countries. We designed the flags of all African countries that celebrated their independence between February and June using Think Africa’s templates on the Canva Design Platform. These were shared to all their social media platforms within this time frame. This project created awareness of African heritage and consciousness among Africans in the diaspora, especially those in Europe. In the course of the internship, we attended the 7th EU-Africa Business Summit, held February 14th–18th, where we listened to keynote speakers such as Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission; Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; and many more on the road to economic recovery and how to foster the Pan-African opportunity.
We also attended the African Day Celebration on May 25th, which centered on challenges to African collaboration in Europe (Nordic and Baltic), and cultural differences that affect the partnership. These programs opened our eyes as Africans in the diaspora to make demands for change, note common concerns regarding shared interests, disseminate information about the diaspora, and establish a joint business (entrepreneurship).
Our main focus during the internship was writing a literature review research that centered on the “diaspora” and their involvement in the affairs of their country in diverse areas, but especially in the area of diaspora participation in national elections. The research makes a case for the adoption of e-voting by states due to its benefits—strengthening democracy, election fraud prevention, and speeding up result calculation. In adding a balance to the analysis, it considers the challenges entailed by adopting e-voting and explores the possibility of whether diaspora voting will influence Nigeria’s electioneering process.
The paper addressed several key points. It addressed the issues of e-voting as a concept: reasons for its success and the benefits it offers; an overview of e-voting and diaspora voting; adoption of e-voting by states and the chance it presents to diasporas to influence the leadership choice of their nation; Nigeria and e-voting: why should Nigeria adopt e-voting, especially for their diaspora population; the impact and influence of e-voting; challenges; and possible solutions.
The research unearths the fact that Nigerians in the diaspora number over 17 million, which is more than the population of some African countries, which calls for their involvement in elections in Nigeria. The diaspora population contributes significantly to the country’s economic growth through remittances and agitates to be included in elections to determine the country’s leadership. Remittances from Nigerians living abroad have substantially impacted the country’s economy. Diaspora remittances totaled $23.63 billion in 2018, accounting for 83% of the Federal government’s budget. After India, China, Mexico, the Philippines, and Egypt, Nigeria was placed sixth in the world in terms of remittances in 2019, with a total of US$24.5 billion.
Our next plans are to expand the report into a proper research paper, using empirical evidence to analyze the diaspora’s participation in elections and how it can influence elections in Nigeria. The report can be read here (link)
Our experiences with Think Africa were outstanding and knowledge-based, and we built a network and learned much about research methodologies. We hope to continue being involved in some of the upcoming activities, e.g., Think Africa Week in November, and hopefully continue contributing to the vision of enabling the fulfillment of the African diaspora potential.
Very interesting and important to allow people in Diaspora to vote during elections and determine who to govern them in terms of leadership in the country and also pertispect in other activities going on in there countries , if someone in Diaspora can pay bills, in his /her country, they should be allowed to cast their vote via e – voting because of their major contribution in there countries and also being part and parcel of the country.