Transnational Economic Engagements: The Africa-Australia Nexus

This chapter reports data from an innovative modified Delphi study of the African-Australian diaspora’s ongoing transnational connections to countries of origin. After considering the meaning and value of the term ‘diaspora’ and its relationship to transnationalism, we outline existing research focussing on the economic engagements of diasporas while acknowledging their interrelationships with social, cultural, and political dimensions. The chapter then describes the Delphi technique as employed and presents the key forms of economic transnational interaction identified by the Delphi participants. Some of the material has a focus on the Ghanaian and, to a lesser extent, Kenyan diasporas in Australia, offering some specificity to the general points participants made. We also consider participants’ recommendations for leveraging the rich and grounded resources that the diaspora offers.