For many Zambian families, the diaspora is not an abstract concept discussed at international conferences.
It is the daughter working in Britain who pays school fees back home, the brother in the United States who helps settle hospital bills, or the relative in South Africa who regularly sends money to support a household.
Across Zambia, these financial connections have become part of everyday life, demonstrating that citizens living abroad remain closely connected to the country’s economic and social realities.
Yet the contribution of the diaspora is often viewed through two competing lenses: remittances and brain drain. While families celebrate the financial support coming from relatives abroad, policymakers worry about the departure of skilled professionals, including doctors, nurses, teachers and engineers.
Both perspectives are valid, but Zambia needs a broader conversation about how its citizens abroad can become active partners in national development.
The experience of countries such as Kenya offers useful lessons.
Remittances as an economic resource
Kenya’s diaspora remittances have grown substantially over the past two decades, reaching approximately US$4.95 billion in 2024 and exceeding US$5 billion in 2025.
The figures demonstrate the growing importance of citizens abroad in supporting domestic economic activity.
For Zambia, remittances also represent an important source of foreign exchange, helping families meet essential expenses while supporting consumption and livelihoods.
Although remittances should not be confused with foreign direct investment, both contribute foreign currency to the economy.
The difference is that remittances are largely private transfers intended to support individuals and families, whereas foreign direct investment generally finances businesses, infrastructure and productive activities.
This distinction should not diminish their economic importance.
Money sent home by Zambians abroad helps pay school fees, purchase property, finance small businesses, meet medical expenses and support relatives who might otherwise struggle to make ends meet.
In many households, these transfers provide a financial safety net against unemployment, rising living costs and other economic difficulties.
However, Zambia must look beyond the immediate benefits of household support and explore how a proportion of diaspora resources can be channelled into productive investment.
From family support to national development
The Zambian diaspora possesses more than financial resources. It includes professionals, entrepreneurs, academics, scientists, engineers and businesspeople who have acquired valuable experience in different parts of the world.
Their knowledge, international networks and technical expertise could contribute significantly to Zambia’s development.
Government should therefore strengthen mechanisms that make it easier for citizens abroad to invest in sectors such as agriculture, mining, manufacturing, tourism, technology, healthcare and real estate.
There is also potential for diaspora-led partnerships that connect Zambian businesses with international markets, investors and suppliers.
A properly coordinated diaspora investment framework could help address some of the challenges facing local entrepreneurs, particularly access to capital, technology and international business networks.
Such an approach would require transparent investment procedures, reliable information, efficient registration systems and assurances that investments will be protected.
The brain drain dilemma
Nevertheless, Zambia cannot discuss diaspora development without confronting the continued departure of skilled professionals.
The migration of healthcare workers, in particular, presents challenges for a country that needs sufficient personnel to strengthen its public health system.
When doctors, nurses and other specialists leave, the country loses skills and experience, while the cost of training replacements remains largely a domestic responsibility.
However, describing migration exclusively as brain drain overlooks the opportunities created by connections between professionals at home and abroad.
Zambian doctors working overseas, for example, could support medical training, research, specialist consultations and professional exchanges with institutions back home.
Similarly, engineers, academics and information technology specialists could contribute through mentorship programmes, technology transfer and collaborative projects.
The objective should not necessarily be to discourage migration but to ensure that Zambia continues benefiting from the skills and experience of its citizens wherever they live.
A diaspora beyond borders
There is also a need for Zambia to recognise that its diaspora does not operate in a stable international environment.
Changes in immigration policies, employment opportunities and political attitudes in destination countries can affect the ability of Zambians abroad to work and send money home.
Consequently, the country should avoid building its development expectations around remittances alone.
Instead, it should establish sustainable partnerships that encourage voluntary investment, knowledge exchange, skills transfer and closer economic cooperation.
Ultimately, the success of Zambia’s diaspora engagement should not be measured only by how much money enters the country each year.
It should also be measured by the businesses established, jobs created, knowledge transferred and opportunities generated for people at home.
The diaspora should be viewed neither simply as a community that has abandoned the country nor as an endless source of financial assistance.
It is an extension of Zambia’s human and economic resources.
The bigger challenge is to build a domestic economy that gives citizens confidence to invest, participate and contribute, whether they live in Lusaka, London, Johannesburg or New York.
That is when diaspora engagement will move beyond helping families survive and become a meaningful instrument for national transformation.