African Medical Diaspora Articles & Research

The African Medical Diaspora Articles & Research section of the Consortium of Pan-African Medical Diasporas (COPAMD) serves as a hub for scholarly articles, research findings, and thought leadership from medical professionals across the African diaspora. Our mission is to advance healthcare knowledge, foster collaboration, and bridge the gap between global expertise and local impact. Explore cutting-edge research and contributions shaping the future of healthcare in Africa and beyond.

AFRICAN ACADEMIC DIASPORA TOOLKIT

Medical diaspora: an underused entity in low- and middle-income countries’ health system development

Leveraging Diasporas in Public Health Emergencies- Africa Union

There are an estimated 19 million African Diaspora globally. This is more than the populations of Libya and Liberia combined. The African Union defines its diaspora as people of African Origin who live outside the continent, and who, irrespective of their current nationality or citizenship are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and the African Union. This definition encompasses all African migration; historic, current, forced, voluntary, economic or humanitarian.

Over the past decade, the involvement of the African diaspora in the development of their respective countries has significantly increased. As a result, state and non-state actors are increasingly recognizing the potential role of the diaspora in development and most recently in humanitarian crises. This interest is perhaps most reflected through the diaspora offices and ministries that countries have established...

Diaspora engagement: a scoping review of diaspora involvement with strengthening health systems of their origin country

ABSTRACT
Background
Diaspora communities are a growing source of external aid and resources to address unmet needs of health systems of their homelands. Although numerous articles have been published, these endeavors as a whole have not been systematically assessed.

Objective
Examine the available literature to assess activities through which diasporas engage with the health system in their origin country and what barriers they face in their interventions...

Algeria Seeks to Mobilize Its Diaspora for Medical Investment and Expertise Transfer

State Secretary Sofiane Chaib Emphasizes the Strategic Role of the Algerian Community Abroad in Advancing the Nation’s Healthcare Sector Algiers, Algeria | February 18th, 2025 — In a high-level consultative meeting organized by the Consulate General of Algeria in Frankfurt, State Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of the National Community Abroad, Sofiane Chaib, underscored Algeria’s unwavering commitment to engaging its diaspora in bolstering medical investment and transferring expertise to the homeland...

Home is home-Botswana's return migrant health workers

Abstract

The shortage of skilled healthcare workers in Sub-Saharan Africa is aggravated by their emigration to high resource countries. There is evidence that a small number of healthcare workers return to their home countries. It is important to understand the factors that influence decisions to return in order to develop appropriate strategies to attract more back. This study sought to investigate the perspectives of healthcare workers who returned to Botswana after working in the diaspora. We conducted semi-structured interviews of 8 healthcare workers. Using the thematic analysis method we developed a thematic index to code the data. The main reasons for returning were family ties and missing home whilst the key reasons for emigration were concerns about the quality of health care, lack of professional progression opportunities and feeling under-valued. Difficulties reintegrating into the Botswana health care system are a potential push factors for those who return. Policies that aim to attract back healthcare workers should address professional progression, reintegration and improvement of the healthcare system.

Triangular Partnership: the Power of the Diaspora

Establishing pediatric radiology in a low-income country: the Ethiopian partnership experience

In 2008, a partnership between the academic pediatric radiology department at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in the USA and the radiology department at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital in Ethiopia, was established. The partnership aims to support pediatric radiology education during radiology residency and to establish pediatric radiology subspeciality training in Ethiopia. In this paper, we review the needs that elicit this type of partnership, its structure, achievements, challenges and future state as a successful roadmap to the establishment of a high-impact subspeciality program in a bilateral partnership...

Policy Options for Addressing Health System and Human Resources for Health Crisis in Liberia Post-Ebola Epidemic

Malawian impressions of expatriate physicians: A qualitative study

Physician emigration from Nigeria and the associated factors: the implications to safeguarding the Nigeria health system

Navigating brain drain: understanding public discourse on legislation to retain medical professionals in Nigeria

Nigeria's new policy: solution for the health-care workforce crisis?

Contribution of Sudanese medical diaspora to the healthcare delivery system in Sudan: exploring options and barriers

Uganda’s medical diaspora and their engagement in global health

Background
The World Health Organization has previously identified the emigration of healthcare workers as the most critical problem facing health systems in African countries. However, despite this documented negative impact of the brain drain of health professionals from Africa, there is an argument that transnationally oriented medical migrants (or diasporas) can act as development agents for their countries of origin. Financial remittances, in particular, are said to have substantial potential for transformative development and can reduce the number of people living in poverty. African countries are also expected to benefit from the transfer of knowledge and skills, which is exchanged through the return of health professionals from abroad.