The recent study by the UNCTAD “Economic Development in Africa: Migration”reveals that contrary to some perceptions, most migration in Africa today is intra-continental.
The Intra-African migration is an essential compontent for deeper regional economic integration and growing prosperity on the continent, achieving the Africa’s agenda 2063. It can play a key role in the structural transformation of the continent’s economies, and if managed well, may serve as the important means for achieving the SDGs in Africa and beyond.
The UNCTAD Report focuses on establishing the links between migration and structural transformation in Africa in the context of the historical changes driven by the recent integration initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the Protocol on the Free Movement of Personsand the launch of the Single African Air Transport Market.
The Report is in line with the Agenda 2030, which recognizes the societal benefits of facilitated orderly, safe, regular well-managed migration forboth origin and destination countries. The SDGs provide the important global legal framework for migration and development relationships between countries as reciprocal and beneficial.Unlike Millenium Development Goals, the 2030 Agenda does explicitely refer to migrants and migration (see targets 5.2, 8.7, 8.8, 10.7, 10.c, 16.2 and 17.18), eventhough the clear linkages between development and migration are not articulated in the Agenda 2030. This gap will be minded in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration,global effort by the countries aimed at articulating a common and holistic framework for migration–development nexus, that addresses all aspects of international migration, including the humanitarian, developmental, human rights-related and other aspects. It is guided by the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. The Global Compact for Migration will enhance coordination on international migration; present a framework for comprehensive international cooperation on migrants and human mobility; set out a range of actionable commitments, means of implementation and a framework for follow-up and review among Member States.
The authors of the Report make a valuable analytical contribution to this effort and provide economic and development insights into the dynamics of intra-African migration, offer relevant recommendations for governments in Africa and international development community for the design of demand-driven technical cooperation projects. Therefore, the findings of the Report have a practical value for improving policy approaches to migration not only in Africa, but also for migration stakeholders outside the continent.
By Katsiaryna Serada
SDWatch is a student-led online platform that serves as publication of academic papers, creation of blogposts, sustainable agenda and creation of a community around sustainable development.
Contact us: info@sdwatch.org
