07/10/2026
Africa has strong migration frameworks. The challenge is turning those commitments into something migrants can actually experience.
That was at the heart of our Virtual Town Hall on Migration Governance in Africa, held earlier today, which brought together , experts, diplomats, researchers and African Union stakeholders to look at the implementation of the Migration Policy Framework for Africa (MPFA) and Plan of Action 2018–2030.
Ambassador William Carew, Head of the ECOSOCC Secretariat, highlighted the gap between regular and irregular migration pathways. He noted that has become quite good at describing the difference between regular and irregular movement in policies and declarations, but has been slower to make regular routes accessible to ordinary people. He also called for greater attention to returns, including the debt, lack of income and stigma that migrants may face when they return.
Prof. Milena Angelova, Chair of the EU-ACP Follow-Up Committee at the EESC - European Economic and Social Committee, addressed climate-related migration. She highlighted the role climate change and environmental degradation can play alongside other migration drivers and called for stronger research and better data to understand these movements and inform policy responses.
Our Presiding Officer Mr. Louis Cheick Sissoko highlighted the importance of protecting migrants’ and ensuring greater dignity in labor mobility. He also raised the need to address racism and discrimination and proposed exploring a professional mobility and decent work corridor, supported by a digital platform that could help verify employment opportunities, contracts and workers’ rights.
Dr. Eyole Monono, Chair of the Political Affairs Cluster at ECOSOCC, connected migration with Africa’s economic integration agenda. He explained how the MPFA builds on the Abuja Treaty and its provisions on the movement of people, capital and goods. He outlined the framework’s eight strategic pillars, from migration governance and to engagement, border , forced displacement, internal migration, and migration and . He also highlighted the AU Protocol on Free Movement of Persons and the role of civil society in encouraging governments to ratify and implement it.
Dr. Silindile Nanzile Mlilo, Senior Research Associate at the Global Migration Institute, Toronto Metropolitan University, and Research Associate at the Wits - University of the Witwatersrand, called for Africa to move from commitment to implementation. She highlighted practical barriers affecting ordinary Africans, including travel restrictions, recognition of qualifications, work and residence permits, administrative procedures and access to information. She also called for an approach to mobility that facilitates movement while addressing legitimate security concerns.
Hon. Neema Lugangira, District Commissioner for Arumeru District in ’s Arusha Region, and former Member of Parliament of Tanzania, highlighted food insecurity as a factor that can contribute to migration, particularly for women. She called for countries to address both food security and nutrition security.
Drawing on her experience in local government, she also pointed out that migration takes place within countries. People may move from one region to another because of economic difficulties or in search of resources, including better animal feed for livestock. Local authorities therefore need to understand how population movements affect social services, budgets, employment and security. She also emphasized the importance of women’s representation in discussions on migration, and , and food security.
M. Ibrahim BA, Career Diplomat and Président de l’Observatoire International de la Diplomatie Territoriale, called for territories to be placed at the heart of migration governance. He stressed that behind every migrant is a territory of departure, transit, destination and return. He called for stronger links between migration and territorial development, including productive investment, partnerships between territories, entrepreneurship and opportunities for .
He also proposed creating an African network on migration and mobility to connect territorial actors, civil society organizations and other partners and support development initiatives in territories affected by migration.
Dr. Lydia Chibwe, Project Officer and Postdoctoral Fellow in the Women’s Rights Unit at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, focused on the gap between migration rights on paper and migrants’ ability to exercise those rights.
She noted that African regional economic communities are at different stages of facilitating movement, meaning that the rights and opportunities available to an African migrant can differ depending on the region in which they move. She also stressed that migration governance cannot stop at whether a person can cross a border. Migrants need access to , , housing, social protection, financial services and .
Dr. Chibwe called for stronger monitoring and accountability, with migrants involved in assessing whether commitments are working in practice. She also highlighted the role of civil society in documenting implementation challenges, providing evidence to policymakers, countering misinformation and holding governments accountable.
Dr. Bobuin Jr. Valery, African Union – IOM - UN Migration Migration Ambassador for Central Africa and Advocacy Specialist at the The Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, urged civil society to be strategic in engaging governments. Because the MPFA is a soft instrument, he noted that governments cannot be compelled to comply with it through legal action. He encouraged CSOs to build on commitments governments have already made under and the Global Compact for Migration, using the MPFA to reinforce those commitments.
He also encouraged CSOs to bring concrete evidence from their work in border communities, education centers and informal settlements, particularly where governments face financial and constraints. On migrant rights, he called for stronger connections between legal aid providers across countries of origin, transit and destination, greater use of binding legal and mechanisms, regional courts and institutions, and stronger consular protection for African citizens abroad.
Our Head of Programs Mr. Kyeretwie Osei emphasized that migration is critical to Africa’s broader integration agenda. He linked the movement of citizens with economic and political integration, including the African Continental Free Trade Area, the Single African Market, and AU frameworks on free movement and mobility.
He also highlighted ECOSOCC’s work with citizens, civil society and partners to communicate accurate information about migration and AU migration frameworks and to counter the distortion and misuse of migration narratives. He specifically highlighted efforts to demystify the AU Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, which he said has been widely misunderstood and misinterpreted and has not yet achieved the required number of ratifications.
Mr. Osei invited civil society and other stakeholders to remain engaged with ECOSOCC’s work on migration.
The interactive Q&A session brought forward key questions including, "what does an African migrant actually experience after a framework is adopted?"
Whether it is crossing a border, obtaining a work permit, accessing healthcare, receiving social protection, moving for education, returning home, starting a business or seeking protection from discrimination, implementation is where continental commitments become real.
For civil society, the work includes documenting these experiences, producing evidence, engaging governments, monitoring implementation and helping communities understand the rights and opportunities provided by Africa’s migration frameworks.
Thank you to Dr. Eyole Monono for putting this webinar together, Ms. Adesola Adeyemo (Programs Officer at ECOSOCC) for moderating, and all participants who contributed to the meaningful discussion.
