While the academic diaspora can serve as a facilitator of internationalisation for higher education institutions (HEIs) in low- and medium-income countries, anecdotal evidence on the engagement of the academic diaspora indicates that it is temporary, superficial and of little impact on the quality of research and educational programmes; it has mainly benefited HEIs by raising their visibility and university rankings, thus exploiting the diaspora rather in home countries than vigorously engaging them in academic activities and capacity building efforts. The present study builds on the boundary-spanning perspective to elaborate on the potential functions of academic diaspora as enhancers of HEIs' capabilities by enabling genuine partnerships between HEIs in developing and developed countries. Furthermore, using an explorative qualitative approach, the paper provides insights into the factors involved in the low-quality engagement of academic diaspora at the national, institutional and individual levels. Finally, several implications for HEIs' managers and policymakers are laid out to improve the quality and impact of academic diaspora engagement.