wmr2010 migration policies in africa

8/3/2019 WMR2010 Migration Policies in Africa

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The Future of Migration

Policies in Africa

BACKGROUND PAPER

WMR 2010


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BACKGROUND PAPERWMR 2010

The Future ofMigration Policies

in Africa

ADERANTI ADEPOJUHUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT CENTRE,LAGOS,NIGERIA

[email protected]


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FOREWORD

Thispaper isoneof19backgroundpaperswhichhavebeenprepared for the IOM,2010

WorldMigrationReportwhich isentitled theFutureofMigration:BuildingCapacities for

Change.The

2010

report

focuses

on

likely

future

trends

in

migration

and

the

capacities

that

will be required by States, regional and international organizations, civil society and the

privatesectortomanagemigrationsuccessfullyoverthecomingdecades.

Overthenextfewdecades,internationalmigrationislikelytotransforminscale,reachand

complexity,due togrowingdemographicdisparities, theeffectsofenvironmentalchange,

newglobalpoliticalandeconomicdynamics,technologicalrevolutionsandsocialnetworks.

The 2010 World Migration Report focuses on capacitybuilding, first because it is good

governancetoplan for the future,especiallyduringaperiodofeconomicdownturnwhen

the tendency is to focus on immediate impacts and the shortterm period of recovery.

Second,capacitybuildingiswidelyacknowledgedtobeanessentialcomponentofeffective

migrationmanagement,

helping

to

ensure

the

orderly

and

humane

management

of

migration.

PartAoftheWorldMigrationReport2010focusesonidentifyingcorecapacitiesinkeyareas

of migration management. The aim is not to recommend one size fits all policies and

practices, but to suggest objectives of migration management policies in each area, to

stimulatethinkingandprovideexamplesofwhatStatesandotheractorscando.

PartBof theWorldMigrationReport2010,providesanoverviewof the latestglobaland

regionaltrendsinmigration.Inrecognitionoftheimportanceofthelargestglobaleconomic

recessionsincethe1930s,thissectionhasaparticularfocusontheeffectsofthiscrisison

migrants,migrationandremittances.

FrankLaczko

HeadoftheResearchandPublicationsDivision

IOMHeadquarters

Geneva,Switzerland

Email:[email protected]


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INTRODUCTION

Thekeyobjectiveofthispaperistoassesscurrentcapacitiestocopewithchangingmigration

patternsandprocesses informulatingcomprehensivemigrationpolicies inAfrica,to identify

existinggapsandtomakerecommendationsconcerningcapacitybuildinginthefuture.Part1

presentsabriefoverviewof the futureofmigrationpolicies inAfricaandhow theywillbe

affectedby

changing

international

migration

patterns

and

processes.

Within

the

context

of

the frameworkof the3Dsdemography,democracyanddevelopment (which includes the

impactofclimatechange)theroleofthecivilsocietyactorsisexamined,asistheemerging

involvementofthebusiness,corporatesectorinmigrationissuesinAfrica.Theeconomiccrisis

is impactingmigration inmanyways, including lossofjobs and programmes for voluntary

returnofmigrants,andthesedynamicswillshapetheorientationoffuturemigrationpolicies.

Part2assessestheexistingcapacitiestorespondtotheimpactofchangingmigrationpatterns

andprocessesonmigrationpoliciesinAfrica.Thespecificgapsthatneedtobefilledinorder

to enhance the efficiencyof suchpolicies are also identified.Part3 focuses specifically on

capacitybuilding and theareaswhere further capacity is required,basedon the key areas

identified.Theconcludingsectionhighlightsrecommendationstargetedatlocal,nationaland

regionallevels,

as

well

as

the

organizations

and

agencies

responsible

for

implementing

the

recommendations.

PRESENTATION OF THE TOPIC

Over the past few years, a series of important international, regional and nationallevel

meetingsandevents focusingonmigrationanddevelopmenthavehadacatalyticeffecton

migrationdiscourseandpolicy inAfrica.At the international level, the reportof theGlobal

CommissionforInternationalMigration(2005),theUNHighLevelDialogueonMigrationand

Development (2006)and theGlobalForumonMigrationandDevelopment (Brussels,2007;

Manila,2008;andAthens,2009)havehelpedplaceinternationalmigrationattheforefrontof

policy debate. At the regional African level, significant events include the African Unions

StrategicFramework

for

aPolicy

on

Migration

(2001)

and

the

ECOWAS

1

common

approach

on

migration (2006). The EuropeanUnion (EU) and African Union (AU) have held a series of

meetings to address issues relating to regular and irregular migration between the two

regions:theEuroAfricanconferenceonmigrationanddevelopment(2006);theJointAfrica

EUDeclarationonMigrationandDevelopment (2006); theFollowupMeetingof theRabat

Process(2007)inMadrid;andtheEUAfricansummitinLisbon(2008).In Africa, intraregional migration is dominant, and economic organizations at subregional

levelsarepotentialvehiclesformigrationpolicydevelopment.Wheretheseorganizationsare

dominated by the economies of one or two countries,movements of people have been

directed to itscorecountries,as inBotswanaandSouthAfrica insouthernAfrica,Gabon in

centralAfrica,Kenya ineasternAfrica,CtedIvoireandNigeria inWestAfrica,andLibyan

ArabJamahiriya

in

North

Africa.

Many

of

these

dynamics

are

set

to

change,

especially

in

the

faceofongoingglobal financialandeconomic turmoil,and theprofound impactofclimate

change.

ECOWASwasapacesetterinarticulatingaprotocolonfreemovementofpersonsin1979;it

alsoadoptedacommonpositiononmigration in2006,asdid theAfricanUnionearlieron.

Nigeria,theregionsdemographicgiant,formulatedanationalmigrationpolicyin2007.South

1EconomicCommunityofWestAfricanStates


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Africa,theregionseconomichub,adoptedsuchpolicyin1999,asapostapartheidmeasure

tomanagemigration.Recently,Rwandahasdonethesameandmanyothercountries,suchas

Ghana,Senegal,UgandaandZimbabwe,amongothers,aresettofollow.

Expected future migration trends and policies

Inthe

next

two

decades,

migration

trends

in

Africa

will

be

largely

shaped

by

economic,

demographicandclimatechangedynamics.Thespeedanddepthofongoingeconomiccrises

makeAfricancountriesveryvulnerable.SouthAfrica, for itspart, isexperiencing theworst

economicdepressionsince1992,and its impact isbeingfeltbythe laboursendingcountries

whose economies are very largely dependent on that of South Africa and on migrants

remittances. Botswanas economy the bestmanaged in Africa has also been hard hit,

forcingthecountrytoborrowUSD1.5billionfromtheAfricanDevelopmentBanktobuttress

a fiscaldeficitasdiamondexportearningsarehitby the recession (Adepoju,2009).Unlike

highincomecountries,Africancountriesareunable to launch robust stimulusplans,due to

financial and institutional constraints, thereby exposing their already poor, aiddependent

populationstofurtherhardship,andreshapingthearchitectureofthedominantintraregional

migration flows.Many industrieswheremigrants predominate (such as tourism in Ireland,

constructionin

Spain

and

North

America,

and

financial

services

in

Britain)

have

been

among

thefirsttoshedjobs(Ghosh,2009).Morerecentarrivals inEuropehavebeendistressedby

therestrictedgloballabourmarketandtheincreasingchallengeoffindingevenmenialwork.

Withunemploymentinmostreceivingcountriesatitshighestlevelsfor15years12percent

inSpainandover7percent intheUnitedStatesprospects for immigration,especiallyof

unskilledworkers,aredim.

Thepredictableimpactofaneconomicslumpinrichcountriesisthatsomepotentialmigrants

fromAfricamaybediscouragedfrommakingthemove,somemayhavetoreturnvoluntarily

orbeforcedtotakethatdecision,whileyetothersmayoptto insteadmigratetoemerging

economiessuchasChina,Braziland India.AnySouthSouthmigrationalreadyset inmotion

would intensify.Setagainst the International LabourOrganizations (ILOs)projectedglobal

loss

of

about

20

million

jobs

in

2009,

migration

is

bound

to

slow

down

perhaps

for

longer

than currently projected (The Economist, 2009a). For now, Spain and Switzerland are

implementingreturnprogrammes,providingcash incentivesformigrantstoreturnhome. In

effect, African migrantsending countries have to implement reception, reinsertion and

resettlement programmes for returning migrants, while concurrently revamping viable

economicactivitiestoretainpotentialemigrants.Theseandotherdevelopmentswillneedto

befactoredintofuturemigrationpolicyformulationandimplementation.

Migrants remittances to African countries have exceeded funds obtained via official

developmentassistanceandforeigndirect investmentsand,formanyremittancedependent

countries,havebecomemajorsourcesof foreignexchangeearnings.Remittancesprovidea

lifeline and have lifted many families and individuals out of poverty, while boosting

educational

enrolment

and

enhancing

the

health

status

of

migrants

household

members

left

behind.Butwillthistrendcontinue, inviewofthemassivejob losses inhostcountriesthat

employmigrants?Migrantsending and aiddependent countrieswill suffermost from the

financial and economic crisis, given the uncertainties surrounding continued migrant

remittance flows,whiledevelopmentassistance isset todwindle.Withpovertyandhuman

deprivationintensifying,outmigrationtorelativelyresourcerichlocalitieswithinandoutside

theregionwouldaccelerate.Itisinthiscontextthatmigrationpolicywillneedtoincorporate

educationprogrammesinfinancial literacytopromoteamoreproductiveuseofremittances

byrecipienthouseholds.


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Africasunemploymentrate(estimatedat10percentin2006)iscompoundedbythegrowing

numberofworkingpoor(ILO,2007).Theprojectedyouthpopulationof500millionby2050

raises the spectre of a deepening employment crisis. Currently, the lack of decent work

promptsyouthstoemigrateinsearchofamoresecurefuture.Duetodifficultiesinobtaining

entrypermits,theseyoungmigrantsoftenengage indangerousjourneystoenterEuropeas

irregular and undocumentedmigrants. That trendmay accelerate in the coming decades,

therebynecessitating

migration

policies

and

programmes

aimed

at

regulating

these

flows

of

youngmigrants.

Africasuffersthemostfromtheconsequencesofglobalclimatechanges,althoughitaccounts

foronlyasmallproportionofgreenhousegasemissions.Majorenvironmentalchallengesand

thedegradationofnaturalresources(deforestation,desertification,drought(intheSahelian

region), soil erosion and floods (in coastal regions)) would result in the displacement of

millionsofpeople, intensify internal(especiallyruralurban)migrationandcouldalsocreate

internationalmigrationwithinandoutsidetheregionthatmaybecomeselfperpetuating.To

thesemustbeaddedwater,airandgroundpollution,especiallyinalreadyovercrowdedcities.

However, current knowledge on the relationshipbetween climate change andmigration is

incomplete and we need to explore more systematically why most people impacted by

environmental

degradation

in

Africa

do

not,

in

fact,

migrate

(Hietanen,

2009).

Africacontainshalfor12millionoftheworlds internallydisplacedpersons(IDPs).While

thenumberdisplaced by conflicts appears tobe falling, thenumberof thosedisplacedby

climatechangeisclimbing fast,withAfricasettohostthebulkoftheworlds200million

migrantspredicted to result from theeffectsof climatechange.Already,by2008,700,000

Africansweredisplacedbyclimatechange(TheEconomist,2009b).

CURRENT CAPACITIES

Inthecurrentmigrationdevelopmentnexus,withemigrationpressureintensifyinginAfrican

countries,whilereceivingcountriesarereinforcingtheirentryrequirementsandshuttingtheir

gatesagainst

irregular

migrants,

new

approaches

are

required

to

formulate

coherent

and

concertedmigratorypoliciescongruentwiththoseofother fieldsrelatedtomigration.Such

policiesneedtofocusparticularlyontrade,development,environmentandhumanrights,and

theymustbe comprehensiveenough to include theneedsand interestsof sending, transit

andreceivingcountries.

Thusfar,there isaseverely limitedcapacitytodealwiththethreekeyaspectsofmigration

that have engaged the attention of policymakers in Africa: huge inflows of migrant

remittances, brain drain of skilled professionals and its impact on the Millennium

DevelopmentGoals(MDGs),andthepotentialfordiasporastocontributetothedevelopment

of their home countries. (The latters potential is considered to be very significant, as

demonstratedby the fact that theAU recognized theAfricandiasporaas its6th region.) In

addition,the

irregular

migration

of

youths

and

the

impact

of

climate

change

and

environmentaldeteriorationonbothinternalandinternationalmigrationarecrucialelements

thatwillhavetobefactoredintoresponsivemigrationpoliciesinthecomingdecades.

Atthemoment,mostAfricancountries lackboththe institutionalandthehumanresources

capacitytoformulatesynchronizedmigrationpolicies,andseveralagenciesareofteninvolved

in dealingwith issues relating tomigration, resulting in its uncoordinated implementation.

Nigerias case vividly illustrates this: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs unit of Nigerians in

DiasporaOrganisation (NIDO) serves as the headquarters ofNIDOworldwide in Europe,


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NorthAmerica,AfricaandAsia.TheNigerianNationalVolunteerService (NNVS)coordinates

the involvementoftheNigeriandiaspora indomesticdevelopmentandtheannualDiaspora

Conference.ASpecialAssistantonDiasporawasappointedbytheformerPresidentObasanjo.

The Lower House has also established a House Committee on Diaspora to, among other

things,promoteanexchangeof ideaswith theNigeriandiasporaand isworkingona legal

framework aimed at creating a Nigerian Diaspora Commission. In spite of the migration

policysfocus

on

the

diaspora,

related

activities

remain

disparate,

uncoordinated

and

inefficient,duetoinsufficienthumancapacity.

There isageneraldearthofreliablemigrationdata.Inordertoensureacoherentmigration

policy,currentdatacollectionmethodsmustbereviewed,updatedandexpanded.Migration

managementinvolvesthedevelopmentofacomprehensivepolicyframeworkthattakesinto

account: the direct and indirect impacts of sectoral policies on trade, investment,

employment, health etc.; comprehensive and coherent migration management policy

formulationandimplementation;researchinpartnershipwithpolicymakers;andintraagency

collaboration andsynergybetweensectoralpolicies(IOM,2004).Currently,thereisnoforum

for policy dialogue to engage all stakeholders policymakers, politicians, civil society, the

media and migrant associations who have conflicting interests in matters of migration

management.

African countries are facing daunting challenges on, and lack the capacity to deal with,

changing migratory configurations; the AU strategic framework for a policy on migration

(2004), designed to ensure integration of migration and related issues into national and

regionalagendasforsecurity,developmentandcooperation, remainslargelyunimplemented.

Itscommonapproachonmigrationanddevelopment(2006)encouragedMemberStatesto,

among other things: establish a central body to manage migration; introduce legal

frameworkstotackleirregularmigration;establishappropriatemechanismsfornationalfocal

points to regularly exchange information; and coordinate research to provide reliable

information onmigration.More importantly, African Stateswere encouraged to: adopt apolicy on migration; facilitate and encourage the return of skilled migrants; and foster

intersectoral

or

inter

ministerial

coordination

and

dialogue

on

migration.

However,

the

institutionalcapacityattheAUSecretariatisveryweak,anditisevenweakeratthecountry

level, with only one or two officials responsible for managing the migration unit and its

activities.

The ECOWAS common approach onmigration (2006) advanced the Protocol on the Free

MovementsofPersons,RightsofResidenceandEstablishment.TheSecretariatestablisheda

special Task Force on Migration and, following its transformation into a Commission, a

Department on the FreeMovement of Personswas created. The clusters of the common

approachfocuson:

betterimplementationoftheProtocolontheFreeMovementofPersons,theRightofResidenceandEstablishment;

combatinghumantraffickingandprovidinghumanitarianassistance. harmonizingpoliciesandbilateralagreementswithadditionalcountries; promoting theadoptionofmigrationpoliciesbyECOWASMemberStates, together

withharmonizedmigrationmanagementandsectordevelopmentpolicies;

protectionoftherightsofmigrants,asylumseekersandrefugees; ensuringtheimplementationofprotocolsrelevanttointernationalconventions; recognitionofthegenderdimensionofmigration.


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AsinthecaseoftheAU,themajorchallengeliesinreinforcingthefragilecapacityofrelevant

institutionsandofficialsoftheECOWASCommission.Inresponse,Spainprovidedsubstantial

fundingsupporttostrengthentheCommissionshumancapacity;twopositionsformigration

expertsweresubsequentlyadvertisedandweretobefilledbyearly2009.

Atthenationallevel,Nigeriacraftedadraftnationalmigrationpolicyin2007;beforethat,in

1999,South

Africa

developed

elements

of

amigration

policy

and,

recently,

Rwanda

did

the

same. InSenegal,theMinistryofForeignAffairsandSenegaleseAbroadwasrestructured in

1993toenhancethewelfareofnationalsabroadandtoencourageemigrantstobeactively

involved in the socioeconomicdevelopmentof theirhomecommunities; italsoarticulated

programmesfortherepatriationandrehabilitationofitsoverseasnationals.Inadetermined

effort to resolve the perennial constraints of human and financial resources inhibiting the

implementation of programmes, Senegal asked Spain to establish a school to provide

professionaltrainingforworkersinthehospitalityindustrytofurtherpromotetourisminthe

country.

Malialsocreatedaministeriallevelposttoconductpublicrelationsvisitstohelpdestination

countriesunderstandthecircumstancesthatpromptMalianstoemigrate.Consularpositions

were

expanded

in

the

major

receiving

countries

to

deal

with

the

Malian

migrants

problems,

includingtheirreturn,andmigrantsareencouragedtosendmoneyhomeregularly.In2007,a

jobtrainingandinformationcentrewasestablishedbytheEU,withILOstechnicalsupport,to

matchskillswith labourmarketneeds inEUcountries.Mali,aswellasSenegal, ispromoting

agriculturalskillstomeetdomesticneedsandtoenableworkerstoacquirequalifications that

aremarketableinternationally(Adepojuetal.,2010).

Morethan10Africancountrieshavenowsetupdiasporarelatedinstitutionsandministriesin

ordertocoordinatediasporaleddevelopmentrelatedissuesinEthiopia,Ghana,Mali,Nigeria,

Rwanda,SenegalandSierraLeone(Oucho,2009).Inaddition,theAUCommissionhascreated

the African Citizens Directorate to engage overseas diasporas and homeland government.

These structures arenewandweak, and theiractivities areoftenuncoordinated. IOM and

other

agencies

are

providing

technical

assistance

to

reinforce

the

institutional

capacity

of

theseagenciesandtrainlocalstafftomanagethem.

With respect to climate change dynamics, African countries lack the capacity to develop

efficientearlywarningsystems,tomonitortheeffectsofclimatechangeonmigration,andto

factortheseeffectsintomigrationpolicies.Mostclimatechangerelatedforcedmigrationsare

likely to be internal and regional. Environmental and ecological degradation and natural

disasters require the interventionof specificpolicy sectorsoractors: agenciesdealingwith

environmental issues could focus on combating desertification; humanitarian agencies are

responsible foremergency reliefoperations forvictimsofnaturaldisasters;and theasylum

sector takes care of refugees (Some and Sedgo, 2001). However, the boundaries of these

sectorsandactorsoverlapandcoordination betweenthemisoftendifficulttoensure.

Intermediateactors,

especially

international

non

governmental

organizations

(NGOs)

and

UN

agencies, are helping to: empower people to plan and manage their local adaptive

mechanisms; educate and train people on sustainable and natural resource management

practices, and promote environmental education, including healthrelated issues, at school

andvillage levels.However,fewviable localNGOsaddressdeforestation issuesatthevillage

level, implementefficientciviceducationattheschoolandcommunity levels,developgood

earlywarning systems for conflict prevention, or promote social harmony, democratic

principlesandpopularparticipation.


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CAPACITY-BUILDING

In the next two decades,many African countries will be formulating national or sectoral

migrationpolicies.Suchpolicies, togetherwith theongoing formulationof labourmigration

policies inGhana,NigeriaandSenegal,andofnationalmigrationpolicies inRwanda,Uganda

andZimbabwe,wouldrequirecapacitytodealwith:

legalandnormativeframeworks institutionalarrangements trainingofimmigrationofficials stakeholders(civilsociety)involvementandparticipation strengtheningadministrativestructuresatnationalandsubnationallevels establishingmigrationinformationandmanagementcentres enhancingmigrationdatacollection,retrieval,analysisanddissemination promoting MigrationProfiles to supportpoliciesandprogrammesand topromote

thePriorityActionsdefined intheEUAfricaStrategicPartnershipandActionPlanon

Migration,MobilityandEmployment(Lisbon,2007).

In

many

African

countries,

there

is

little

institutional

capacity

for

managing

migratory

flows

andforeffectivepolicyformulationandimplementation.Thiscapacitymustbestrengthened,

particularlywithregardtotheabilityofofficialsincustoms,immigration,policeandsecurity

todealwith themanagedmovementofpersons aswell as the rights andobligationsof

migrants.Officialscurrentlyfunctioningasbordercontrolandsecurityofficialscouldtherefore

see their role expanded to include that of migration manager. At the national level,

collaboration between andwithin government agencies dealing withmigrationmatters is

rare, although essential, resulting in a lack of synergy and coherence, and duplication of

effortsandactivities.

Ingeneral,demographicandeconomicprocessesdrivemigrationdynamicsyettheyseemto

be ignoredbythepoliticalprocessesthatdrivemigrationpolicies.Moreover,therearewide

gaps

between

what

governments

agree

to

and

what,

in

fact,

they

have

the

capacity

human

and institutional to implement. Inaddition togovernments (themajor stakeholders),civil

societyorganizations,thebusinesscommunityandmigrantcommunitieshaveyettobefully

engaged inmigrationmatterspartlydue toa lackofcapacity todealwith thesecomplex

issues.Thekeyconsideration,therefore,ishowtobringtogetherallstakeholdersoractors

governments, thebusiness community, and civil societyatnational levels to engage ina

commonefforttopromoteandimplementcomprehensivemigrationpolicies.

Newlyformed Diaspora Ministries lack capacity, experience and resources, as well as

institutional competence.Officialsmust, therefore, receive training toensure that theyare

abletodevelopdiasporaorientedstrategypolicypapersandproposalsthatcanbetranslated

intofeasiblestrategicinterventions.

GiventhatbilateralandmultilateralmigrationagreementsbetweenmigrantsendingAfrican

countriesandcountriesof theNorthwill featuremoreprominently in thecomingdecades,

articulating comprehensive and relevant bilateral agreements require capacitybuilding,

especiallyforofficialswithinMinistriesofJustice,ForeignAffairsandLabour,responsiblefor

draftingsuchagreementsand/orendorsingandimplementingthem.EUcountrieshavebeen

theprimearchitects,draftingandinitiatingbilateralagreements,aswellasthemodalitiesfor

theirimplementation(Adepojuetal.,2009).Africangovernmentsdonotseemtobeproviding

sufficientlycritical input inthenegotiations leadingtotheagreements, largelybecausethey


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lack the capacity to effectively negotiate and ensure that their specific interests are fully

recognizedandadequatelyenshrinedinsuchagreements.

By2015,over50percentofAfricaspopulation isprojectedto live inurbanareas. Inmany

countries,majorcapitalcitiesarealreadyhometothemajorityoftheurbanpopulation.Big

citiesare increasinglythebigactors increatingjobs,orwheremigrantshopetosecurejobs;

theyalso

have

ahuge

responsibility

to

manage

the

environment,

without

the

mandate

to

set

nationalmigrationpoliciesoragendas.Theirofficialsshouldshareincapacitybuildingefforts

to mainstream migration into development activities. The dialogue process between city

mayors and thebusiness sector, initiatedby TheHagueProcessonRefugee andMigration

Policy,isamodelthatcanbeadapted.

On 23 October 2009, the AU Convention for the protection and assistance of internally

displaced persons was signed in Kampala, urging African governments to look after their

displacedcitizens.Civilsocietyorganizationshavebeenmountingintenseadvocacycampaigns

toensure thatenoughgovernmentssigned theconvention, translated it intonational laws,

andprovidedsufficientfundsforcapacitybuildingandrehabilitationofIDPs.

Each

country

will

vary

in

terms

of

the

intensity

and

coverage

of

the

training

of

officials;

the

technical assistance needed to carry out surveys; the dissemination of results; and the

formulationofmigrationpolicy.Thedraftingofconcreteactionsplanswillalso,necessarily,be

countryspecific.

Withrespecttoclimatechange,thefollowingcriticalareasneedtobeaddressed:

lowadaptivecapacity; lackofskills,technologyandinformation; weakinstitutionsandinadequatephysicalinfrastructure; pooraccesstoresources; inadequatemanagementcapabilities.

Thereis

also

aneed

for

regional

capacity

building,

training,

research

and

development

relating

toclimatechange,socioeconomicsystemsandmigrationdynamicssothatreliabledataand

analysescanbeusedtodeveloppoliciesatlocal,national,regionalandinternationallevels.

Inviewofthesocioeconomic impactofremittancesbymigrants,andgiventheexistenceof

migrantassociationsatfamily,communityandnationallevels,policiesshouldpromoteamore

creative, effective use of remittances. There is therefore a need to build the capacity for

generatingfinancialliteracyamongrecipienthouseholdssothatmigrantsremittancescanbe

used for productive domestic investment, including investment in small andmediumsized

enterprises.


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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

ThefutureofmigrationpoliciesinAfricawillbesignificantlyshapedbythefollowing:

diasporalinkageswithhomecountrydevelopment; remittancesandtheirmoreproductiveuseforinvestment; measurestoencouragemigrantreturnandtheretentionofskills; themediumtolongterm impact of the current global economic crisisonjobs and

opportunitiesforregularmigration.

Othercompelling factorswillhave tobe factored into theequationnotably,ayoungand

rapidly growing population, rapid urbanization fuelled by ruralurban migration, and the

impactofclimatechangeandenvironmentaldegradation.

Resources

Africancountriesmustcapitalizeonongoingeffortstoenhancecooperationandcoordination

amongcountriesandbetween/within subregions in theharmonizationofmigrationpolicies

and

adoption

of

common

regional

approaches

to

migration

issues.

To

ensure

a

comprehensive

approach and tomaximize the gains frommigration, there is a need for harmonized data

collection,analysisandexchangeon labourneeds insendingandreceivingcountries,which

willassistsuchcountriesinmatchinglabourskillswithlabourdemands.

To ensure a coherentmigrationpolicy, currentdatacollectionmethodsmustbe reviewed,

updated and expanded, and the key agencies responsible for migration matters need to

coordinate their activitiesmore effectively.Migrationdatamanagement anddissemination

are crucial to the formulation of relevant and comprehensive migration policies and

programmes.Ofspecialsignificanceistheroleofobservatoriesinprovidinggovernmentsand

otherstakeholderswith reliableandharmonizedmigrationrelated information.Establishing

such observatories was one of the key recommendations of the West African Regional

Ministerial Meeting in Dakar in 2001. While no Observatory has yet been established

specificallyforWestAfrica,IOMsupportedthelaunchoftheACPObservatoryonMigrationin

October 2010 which aims at the creation of a network of research centers and private

researcherstoprovidepolicymakers,thecivilsocietyandthepublicatlargewithreliableand

harmonized data in the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. An Observatory on

Remittances to LDC countrieswill also soonbe establishedby the governmentofBenin in

collaboration with IOM.Whenoperational,theseobservatoriescouldultimatelybe linkedto

theEuroMediterraneanConsortiumforAppliedResearchonInternationalMigration(CARIM),

launchedin2004,whichcoversmigrationoriginatingfrom,transitingthrough,ordestinedfor

the countries of the Middle East and North Africa that border the Mediterranean. Both

observatories(theforthcomingIOMObservatoryandCARIM)couldbelinkedtotheEuropean

Migration Network (EMN), to provide a comprehensive picture of the origintransit

destination migration system. IOM has a critical role to play in helping to set up these

observatories.

Countries need to institutionalize the collection of data on internalmigration (particularly

ruralurbanmigration),intraregionalmigrationandinternationalmigration,andtoendeavour

tokeeptrackofthenumberandprofileoftheirnationalsmigratingabroad.Theyalsohaveto

synchronize theirmigration policies (where such exist) or, at least, to formulate coherent

policies.Theproblemsposedbymigration,circulation,permanentresidenceandsettlement

andthepolicyresponsestothemarequitedifferentforeachmigratoryconfigurationwithin


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the various subregions, and even within individual countries, and are seemingly

insurmountable.

Two regional consultative processes were launched in Africa with IOM assistance the

MigrationDialogue forSouthernAfrica (MIDSA,2000),andtheMigrationDialogue forWest

Africa(MIDWA,2001)toprovideaforumfortheexchangeof information,experienceand

perspectives,and

to

facilitate

cooperation

among

governments

on

migration

policy

and

practice (IOM, 2003). This process laid the foundation for dialogue and cooperation on

migration and development between countries, aimed at harmonizing, coordinating and

integrating regional migration policies in Africa. It is desirable that the African Economic

Community(AEC),whenfullyestablished,headinthedirectionofArticle43(OAU,1991)that

addressesfreemovementofpersons,rightsofresidenceandestablishment.Thedilemma,

however,ishowtheAECcansucceedwheresubregionalorganizationshaveflounderedwith

respecttothefreemovementofpersons.

There isnoformalforum intheregionspecificallyforthediscussionofmigrationmattersby

all stakeholders particularly the media and the public, which are filled with anxiety,

misconceptions, myths and prejudices, and often subject to xenophobia. Dialogue and

consultations

among

the

various

stakeholders,

to

discuss

common

approaches

to

their

migrationconcernsandinterests,shareideasandenhanceunderstandingandcooperationin

migrationmanagement,could lead to thedevelopmentofacoherentpolicy framework for

themanagementofmigration.Thedialoguewillnothappenon itsown; itwillneed tobe

facilitatedandnurturedbyrelevantorganizationssuchasIOM.

Legal and institutional frameworks

ManyAfricancountriesremainambivalentabouttheprincipleoffreemovementofpersons

andarereluctanttomodifydomesticlawsandadministrativepractices.Intensiveadvocacyis

therefore needed to harmonize national laws that conflict with regional and subregional

treaties to facilitate intraregional labourmobility, establishment and settlementwithin the

region.Growing

xenophobia,

fanned

by

the

media

and

politicians

hastily,

and

erroneously

blamingirregularmigrantsforparticularproblems(ashashappenedinSouthAfricaandCte

dIvoire), highlight the need forpublic education programmes to halt the hostility towards

migrants.Suchprogrammes should showcase thepositiveaspectsofmigrantsasagentsof

developmentinbothsourceanddestinationcountries.

African leadersareexploringwaysto retain,attractbackandeffectivelyutilize thevaluable

skills of nationals for national development. Leaders must now implement integrated

migration policies in concertwith the corporate business sector to ensure that businesses

operate at optimum capacity, provide an enabling environment for the private sector to

thrive, and promote democratic governance and popular participation so that returning

nationalscanbemoreeffectivelyintegratedintodomesticeconomies.

Although States retain the power to decide who enters the country and under what

conditions, awide range of civil societyorganizations, internationalorganizations, financial

institutionsand theprivate sectormustbemoreengaged inmigrationmatters.Businesses

benefitfrommultinationalskilled labourandarepartofthecauseofbraindrain.Theymust

therefore participate in the development of pragmatic approaches to addressing issues

relating to highly skilled migrants from Africa. The challenges are to achieve effective

collaboration among nonState actors themselves and between nonState actors and

governmentalinstitutions.


16/19

14

African countries need to ensure that their specific interests and concerns are adequately

reflectedinanybilateralormultilateralmigrationnegotiations.Theneedtoreviewtheunfair

traderegimesthatimpoverishmillionsoftheirnationalswhoareengagedinfarmingathome

shouldassumecentrestageinfuturemigrationdiscussionsandagreements.Effortsshouldbe

made to revisitexistingagreements inorder toreviewandamendunfavourableconditions.

Thekey

role

of

trade

relations

especially

the

short

and

long

term

effects

of

trade

agreements is not yet evident to, or appreciated by,manymigration stakeholders. This

importantroleneedstobeexplicitlyrecognizedthroughcapacitybuildingofofficialsinvolved

intradeagreements.


17/19

15

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PecoudandP.deGucheneire,eds).BerghahnBooks,NewYorkandOxford.

Adepoju,A.etal.

2010 EuropesmigrationagreementswithmigrantsendingcountriesintheglobalSouth.

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2006 DraftAfrican Common Position on Migration and Development, Report of Experts

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Barrios,S.

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al.

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Ghosh,B.

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IOM

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Oucho,J.O.

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