The Zimbabwe National Statistical Agency (ZIMSTAT) with support
from IOM is today convening a workshop in Kadoma to identify
challenges on quantifying the Zimbabwean diaspora ahead of the 2012
national census.

The workshop, funded by the IOM 1035 Facility and the European
Union, brings together representatives from government ministries
and agencies, universities and international development partners,
to discuss the methodological and technical aspects of capturing
the number of Zimbabweans abroad.

Over the last decade, Zimbabwe has experienced significant
social and economic upheaval which has led to unprecedented levels
of emigration from the country. At the same time, Zimbabwe's
capacity to capture accurate and timely migration and immigration
statistics has been severely limited due to resource
constraints.

As a result, the nature and extent of the Zimbabwean diaspora
remains largely unknown, making policy and programme planning
difficult. However, the Zimbabwean diaspora is estimated at roughly
four million individuals, with the number of Zimbabweans in South
Africa alone believed to be between one and 1.5 million.

Through its support to ZIMSTAT and the conference on diaspora
data collection, IOM seeks to further strengthen policy formulation
and planning on diaspora engagement for reconstruction and
development. Such planning could be key to development with recent
estimates showing remittances to Zimbabwe totalling as much as 7.2
per cent of the country's gross domestic product.

For more information, please contact:

Yukiko Kumashiro

IOM Harare

Tel: +263 772 102 132

E-mail: "mailto:ykumashiro@iom.int">ykumashiro@iom.int