A Diaspora advisory council, aims at enhancing engagement of Ethiopians living abroad in various development areas will be established next year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
The government of Ethiopia, which has been working to improve involvement of the Diaspora in the overall development of the country, has now targets establishing two platforms to further mobilize them, Diaspora Affairs Director-General Tefere Melese told ENA.
The bill, which provides for the establishment of the Diaspora advisory council and national Diaspora council, is expected to be ratified by the House of Peoples’ Representatives in November 2015.
According to Tefere, members of the advisory council will be drawn from the Diaspora community, while the national council will have higher level officials as members.
The advisory council will serve as a platform for the Diaspora community to confer and propose ideas for policy makers on the overall development, democratization process and ensuring good governance.
Proposing ideas which will help to improve safety and benefit of Ethiopian communities in their respective residence countries will also expect from the council, he added.
The national council, to be headed by the Prime Minister, is responsible to examine the advisory council’s policy suggestions and incorporate them into laws.
[Ethiopian News Agency]