African Diaspora and Local Development: Circular migration and decentralised cooperation or capitalisation of the voluntary return of students from Europe

Migration is one of the great paradoxes of our times. Africa seems to be the continent most affected by this scourge. The disastrous saga of young Africans sold in Libya, drowned in the Mediterranean or enslaved in the Middle East, reinforces the image of "ambassadors of misery" that some media have given us. On the other hand, some studies show that remittances from the African diasporas to their countries of origin exceed the amount of Western Official Development Assistance. The author sheds some light on the African diaspora issue. Through the results of a European survey conducted among some African students in Europe, he shows that they are generally in favour of voluntary return to their countries of origin to contribute to development. However, to do so, African public policies to support the diasporas must be set up or improved, so that the famous Brain drain is transformed into a Brain gain. Circular migration and decentralized cooperation are instruments that can help Africa to benefit from its Diasporas.