Vision 2050: Tanzania needs a comprehensive migration policy

To unlock Tanzania’s economic potential through migration, key questions must be addressed. Those questions include how to leverage migration to benefit the nation, should passport issuance be mandatory for all citizens or not, can we learn from the likes of Kenya, Gambia, and Ethiopia in developing a comprehensive migration policy, duo citizenship, and what strategies are required to engage the diaspora effectively and maximise remittances. These questions are critical to crafting a policy that would drive economic growth.

Migration policy can be a potent catalyst for growth when it is strategically aligned with national development goals. Through careful management of population flows, nations can attract skilled labour, invigorate their workforce, and stimulate entrepreneurship and innovation. That’s why the adoption of a comprehensive migration policy could be transformative.

Countries that have effectively utilised migration policy as a tool for economic development showcase the immense benefits it can offer. Canada’s Express Entry system, for example, prioritises individuals with education, work experience, and language proficiency, specifically targeting sectors like technology and healthcare where demand for talent is high. Similarly, the United States EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program draws significant capital into the economy by offering visas to those who invest substantially in job-creating ventures. Australia’s Global Talent Independent Program similarly attracts highly skilled individuals likely to become innovators and leaders in their fields. These programmes demonstrate how targeted immigration policies can inject expertise and financial resources into the economy, fostering growth and job creation.

Unfortunately, our approach to migration is reactive at best. For example, we lack a coherent strategy to manage the outflow of our people: on one side, we want to maximise remittances yet, on the other side, we don’t have any program that encourages people to venture to venture abroad so they can send those remittances back home. As a result, our remittances make up only 0.4 percent of GDP, compared to nations such as Senegal and Zimbabwe, where remittances account for 10 percent of GDP. This shortfall costs the Tanzanian economy billions of dollars in potential cash injections every year. The idea that what happens to migration is left to the whims of the government of the day, that is, when the government is progressive, the right things happen, and when it is regressive, the wrong things happen, is faulty.

We, therefore, need to be more strategic by adopting a more open and proactive migration policy. We can provide pathways for foreign workers with desirable skills to enter the country to address gaps in the labour market while also fostering innovation. We can introduce visas to entice foreign capital, stimulating local industries and generating employment opportunities for Tanzanians. We can also introduce schemes that would counterbalance our culture and infuse the labour force with the much-needed international dynamism that is often observed to be lacking here.

A well-structured migration policy should also streamline how we engage the diaspora and facilitate processes for Tanzanians abroad to send money home. By doing so, the country could tap into billions of dollars in remittances that would fuel household consumption, create demand for local goods and services, and stimulate further investment in key areas like education, health, and small businesses.

Countries like Singapore have already shown how such an approach can lead to sustained economic success. Singapore has successfully leveraged its immigration policy to attract skilled workers from around the world, bolstering its status as a global economic hub. By fostering an environment conducive to entrepreneurship and innovation, Singapore has built a resilient economy that benefits from a diverse and highly skilled workforce. Tanzania can draw lessons from such nations, crafting an immigration policy that both attracts foreign talent and maximises the contributions of its diaspora.

For Tanzania to fully realise the benefits of migration, it must embrace migration policy not as a peripheral concern but as a core component of its national development strategy. By investing in skills development for its citizens, encouraging active diaspora engagement, and liberalising visa regulations to attract skilled foreign labour and investors, Tanzania can unlock new growth opportunities. Migration policy, far from being a reactive measure, should be seen as a proactive tool for shaping the country’s future.

Vision 2050 will be regressive if migration matters are not addressed. We need to strategise how to attract tourists, investors, and skilled workers into the country. We need to strategise how to engage our population for a purposeful outflow. We also need to strategise how to interact with other nations to improve international relations. The impact on the economy will be massive.