The response to the level of remittances by Africans in the UK from policy makers is more about exploitation than partnership, says Washington Kapapiro of the Association for African Owned Enterprises.

The prominence given to the level of remittances by Africans in the UK is prompting a response from policy makers that is more about exploitation than partnership, says Washington Kapapiro.

In 2011 the IMF published a report highlighting the value of the African Diaspora to Africa. In this report, it was highlighted that Africans in the diaspora contributed over US$50 billion to Africa through remittances in 2009/2010.

This sum eclipsed USAID's and DFID's combined contributions of US$27 billion in the same period. This statistic brought to light the latent potential that lay in the African diasporas.

From the time this report was published, African diaspora engagement rose up the list of priorities for several government departments, and private and public organizations. All of a sudden there was a real value in engaging this pot of gold that is the African diaspora. It was as though this African diaspora suddenly arrived in the UK in 2009 and just started sending money to Africa then.

Africans have been in Britain since the 12th century and yet, the realization of their worth in 2010 has suddenly prompted their rising worth amongst policy-makers. Many view the African diaspora solely as the gateway to Africa. And whilst that is true of the role Africans in the diaspora can play, this is not a role that they travelled to the UK to play.

A look back into history in 1544 shows when Captain John Lok of HRH Royal Navy brought five Africans to the UK to work as translators to help in trade between Africa and the UK. Britain has always known that Africans in the diaspora can be a useful avenue to venture into Africa for trade. But little attention has been paid to their well being, rights and opportunities whilst they live in the UK.

In 1601, Queen Elizabeth I unsuccessfully ordered the expulsion of all Africans in Britain. Her royal decree failed because the Africans claimed their rights to reside since this was home to them. A few hundred years later, there is still an underlying feeling that Africans in the UK are in transit and will be going back to Africa soon.

There are over 5.5 million Africans who live in the UK today. And yet they are hardly considered as an entity by policy makers. Well, not until they learnt how much money is going into Africa from the diaspora.

We know that this African diaspora comprises of regular people on the high street. Regular consumers. In this group there are our brothers, sisters, friends, neighbors. Africans are multi-racial; including white, black, Asian and Arabian Africans. All these live and reside in the UK and most do not intend on returning soon to Africa. They are regular hard-working folk who deserve recognition on their own merits, NOT for a role they could possibly play in helping Britain enter into Africa.

Diaspora remittances have never been meant to prop up fiscal budgets in any African state. They have been a means to support family back on the continent and feed children and pay school fees etc. Our remittances have been ignored in the past because Africans came to the UK to serve a purpose and many were doing just that. But now policy makers are looking into ways of capitalizing on this group of unsuspecting Africans in the diaspora.

We invite policy makers to instead consider making policies that will help the common African who lives in the UK. Policies such as tax concessions for money remitted will provide a huge benefit for the people who the money is being sent to. Immigration red-tape has also meant several Africans being left illegible to work in the UK and relying on state benefits to survive in the UK. This has impacted on their economic value as they cannot make contributions through working.

Immigration caps have also impacted the contributions Africans can make to the UK economy and in Africa. Whilst the AAOE stands in support of repatriation of skills and talent to Africa for the continent's development, we believe gaining work experience in developed countries will allow further skill advancement for African professionals. By easing immigration caps this will allow more African development.

These policies could help make the Diaspora Affair mutually beneficial for both parties. At the moment it is geared for one party to reap the rewards.