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By Mariem Mezghenni Malouche

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has a large diaspora. According to the latest United Nations estimates, 11 million citizens from the MENA countries lived abroad in 2013. Many of the members of this group hold prominent positions in their adopted countries. They have the potential to contribute to the development of industries in their countries of origin.

Executives in multinationals can influence the choice of locations abroad in increasingly defragmented supply-chains. This is especially relevant for members of the diaspora. Seddik Belyamani, originally from Morocco, was Boeing's top airplane salesman, and was instrumental in converting an initial push-back by Boeing’s executives into an interest and a first mover investment in Morocco. Boeing, the airline and French electrical-wiring company Labinal SA in 2001 opened a small operation preparing cables for Boeing 737 jetliners, named Matis. Matis prepared wire bundles and shipped them to Boeing plants in the U.S. for installation. Today, the industry employs almost 10,000 Moroccans who earn about 15% above the country's average monthly wage of roughly $320.

Read More

• Blog in English_ Beyond Remittances How 11 Million Migrants from the Arab World can Impact  Development
• Blog in Arabic_ ما  وراء التحويلات: كيف يمكن أن يؤثر 11 مليون مغترب من العالم العربي على التنمية
• Blog in French_ Au-delà des envois de fonds comment 11 millions de migrants du monde arabe peuvent influencer le développement  

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MENA Citizens Living Abroad: World Bank Survey to Foster Economic Development and Knowledge Transfer in their Home Country: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LN8VBBZ

Citoyens de la région MENA résidant à l'étranger: Enquête de la Banque mondiale pour promovoir leur contribution économique et le transfert des connaissances dans le pays d'origine : https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L3VWY7C