Senegal’s Diaspora Minister hits the road, where is Kenya?Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:23:00  Minister of Senegalese abroad Mme. Aminata Lô. Picture by James Ololo |
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The Diaspora is aware of its financial might and wanted to know if the matters discussed would be followed up or if it was just yet another trip of sweet talk and no follow up.
Mamboleo
Mme. Aminata Lô, Senegal’s minister for the Diaspora was quick to establish her position in President Abdoulaye Wade’s cabinet. Minister Lô was once a member of Senegal’s Diaspora but returned to Dakar shortly after President Abdoulaye Wade came to office in 2002.
Minister Lo was on three European countries tour that took her to Spain, France and finaly Belgium where Mamboleo attended her “meet the people tour” organized by Fatty Cheikho, another staunch supporter of President Wade and the ruling PDS party. But some claim Fatty is Gambian and therefore not their compatriot.
Senegal’s minister has a special mandate to connect with Senegalese abroad and she came out with many goodies for her compatriots. “I am one of you”. She said, referring to her former status. She was accompanied by a high state delegation from various ministries to come and sell inductive investment opportunities to their compatriots who proved to be tough on demands.
The Diaspora is aware of its financial might and wanted to know if the matters discussed would be followed up or if it was just yet another trip of sweet talk and no follow up.
Kenya's Diaspora is estimated to be 2 million and also of a significant proportion of the country's 36 million but not even allowed to vote, leave alone having a minister or even an assistant minister charged with handling Diaspora affairs. Some will see it as a betrayal by ODM and Prime Minister Raila Odinga who promised to handle pending dual nationality for Kenyans abroad.
Senegal's youth are fond of traveling abroad. Thousands leave for Europe every year through self made makeshift boats but many of them perish in the harsh Atlantic Ocean without stepping foot on a European soil. Despite coming from a semi arid country, the people of Senegal are very hard working, industrious and once they get out of poverty, they never forget their roots.
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