International Migration and the Achievement of Africa’s Development Goals

By

Stephen O. Kwankye & John K. Anarfi(RIPS, University of Ghana, Legon)

1st October, 2013UN Conference Centre, UNECA, Addis Ababa

Introduction• Migration’s role in development acknowledged in

ICPD-PoA;• Africans tend to migrate within the continent than

to the rest of the world (Adepoju, 2010);• Debate on migration as a brain drain on Africa’s

human resources has shifted and now an enabler for inclusive economic and social development (UN, 2012);

• The global migrant stock increased from 92m in 1960 to 165m in 2000 and to 215m in 2010 (World Bank, 2011).

Research Questions• What are the challenges facing Africa in terms of

international migration within and outside the continent both for sending and receiving countries?

• What policies are required to institutionally strengthen the knowledge and evidence base in order to secure collection, analysis and dissemination of quality migration data?

• What is the potential that international migration can contribute to women’s increased mobility, autonomy and empowerment and what policies are required to check abuses of the rights of migrants throughout the migration process?

• What policies are required to mitigate the adverse effects of skilled migration in Africa and to capitalize on the development aspect of international migration?

Migration Trends and Patterns• The number of migrants worldwide increased by 15%

from 156 million to 178 million;• About 215m people estimated to live in countries other

than their birth place (World Bank, 2010); • 31m of this number were said to be from Africa and

30% were made up of the youth (Abebe Shimeles, 2010).

• The number of migrants is recorded to have increased by 20% (2000-2010) and 38% since 1990.

• Migrants formed more than 10% of the total population in the more developed regions in 2010 (it was 7% in 1990) but in Africa, it has been less than two per cent since 1990 although the numbers have increased by 13% in 2000-2010) with variations by region.

Number of International Migrants (millions)

1990 1995 2000 2005 20100

50

100

150

200

250

156 166 178 195 214

Source: UN DESA, 2013

% of Migrant Stock on Total Population, 1990-2010

1990 1995 2000 2005 201002468

1012

2.9 2.9 2.9 3 3.1

1.8 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5

7.2 8.08.7 9.6 10.3

World Less Developed More DevelopedSource: UN DESA, 2013

% Annual Rate of Growth of International Migrant Stock

1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010

-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3 2.72.1 2.3

1.7

-0.4

0.61.1

2.0

More Developed Less Developed

Drivers of Migration in Africa• International migration in Africa can be conceived

within the framework of four key drivers: Economic Socio-cultural Environmental and Political factors

• Irrespective of which of these factors is at play, perceived and real global and regional differences in levels of wealth and human development between poorer and richer societies have constituted the main rationale behind people’s quest to migrate.

International Migration Challenges for Africa

• The emigration of health professionals and other skilled workers from the continent

• Irregular and cross-border migration and national security• Xenophobia and human rights abuses• Temporary to long-term brain drain• Increased joblessness in cities and towns and crime wave

involving the youth in particular• Acculturation and negative practices that are considered

alien to the African tradition• Feminization of migration and its impact on marital

stability & family formation• Migration and the spread of some diseases & infections• Increased cost of funerals.

Policies to institutionally Strengthen Knowledge and Evidence Base for Migration Data

• International migration analysis in Africa suffers from non-availability of current and accurate data

• Invest in regular national surveys on migration• Use foreign missions to engage the diaspora in

matters related to data collection• Establish centres within research institutions or

strengthen existing ones and equip them for data collection

• Establish national centres for information provision for potential migrants to make informed decisions.

Contribution of International Migration for Women’s Increased Mobility and Empowerment

• Increased feminization of migration through increase in female education & skill acquisition;

• International migration is breaking traditional barriers that disadvantaged women;

• Gender roles are fast changing and it is expected to provide further boost to women’s; empowerment but if not managed well, it could create more single mothers which in turn could affect family formation and child development;

• Origin countries should enforce gender-related laws to protect the rights of women regardless of geographical location.

Policies to Mitigate the Adverse Effects of Skilled Migration in Africa

• Engage in bi-lateral agreements for the exchange of both students and professionals;

• Institute appropriate mechanisms including effective bonding systems;

• Work out a system for a negotiated contribution of earnings of sportsmen abroad towards the development of origin;

• Promote and facilitate voluntary or virtual return to benefit from knowledge, skills and technological transfer;

• Take measures to reduce the cost of transfer of remittances• Enforce laws on human trafficking & provide social protection

& support for victims of trafficking• Integrate concerns about migrant rights in destination

countries in all bi-lateral negotiations to protect the rights of all migrants

• Adopt comprehensive national migration policies as a matter of priority.

Conclusion• As countries in Africa envision harnessing the

demographic dividend set in motion by on-going demographic transitions in many of the countries, patterns and trends in international migration will be a key development planning issue.

• Reaping the benefits will, however, depend on how Africa manages international migration within and outside the region through the adoption and effective implementation of comprehensive policy actions in addressing the challenges while maximising the benefits for its development.