Policies towards migration in Africa

While media narratives tend to suggest an exodus from Africa to Europe, the majority of migrants from Africa move to destinations within the region. Although the African Union Commission and Member States have formulated various policies to govern migration, there is little understanding of the implementation outcomes of these policies on the ground. This chapter draws on a review of policy documents to examine the continental, regional, and national level migration policies implemented over the years in Africa. While the African Union and regional economic blocs have been making efforts to promote free movement of persons, implementation has been poor due to lack of political will to fully implement free movement policies. Additionally, while many of the individual countries have formulated migration related policies that seek to harness the benefits of migration for economic development, resources constraints have affected the implementation of these policies. The findings indicate that to improve migration governance in Africa requires the commitment of governments to implement regional frameworks in their respective countries. There is also a need to invest in capacity training of relevant actors, and better coordination of efforts to address the needs of labour migrants on the continent.