African Union to create legal migration opportunities

In partnership with the European Union (EU), the African Union (AU) is renewing efforts to prevent African youths from risking their lives along irregular routes to Europe.

Speaking at a stakeholders meeting on 29 November 2018, Brigitte Mukanga-Eno, the Deputy Representative of Protection to Nigeria at the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), revealed that the AU and EU have been discussing the creation of opportunities for legal migration.

“Because many of the companies abroad still need labour, why can’t we organise a proper way to ease migration instead of rejecting visa applications and allowing young people to follow the risky road?” Brigitte asked.

The EU has been investing in Africa to further the employability and job opportunities for young people. In August 2018, the United Kingdom (UK) signed a GBP 115 million grant to Ethiopia, in a bid to create 100,000 jobs and improve the country’s tax system. Germany has also said it will be financing a four-year programme to reintegrate refugees with host communities in the East African country. In November 2018, the EU Delegation to The Gambia, said the Jobs, Skills and Finance for Women and Youth Programme (JSF) will create about 3,000 jobs for women and youth in The Gambia.

Mukanga-Ego also pointed out that The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is adopting policies that create legal migration opportunities for young people.

The AU and other regional bodies in the continent, like the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the East African Community (EAC) are working on economic integration and free movement of people within the continent.

Nevertheless, the process is slow as member states are struggling to agree on ongoing regional initiatives. A recent example is the Union’s protocol on free movement of persons. Only 27 member states signed the protocol in Kigali, Rwanda, in March 2018.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that in 2018, over 2,150 migrants lost their lives or went missing while irregularly crossing the Mediterranean to Europe. The African Union is urging member states to take full responsibility in tackling the root causes of irregular migration on a national and regional level.

TMP – 12/12/2018

Photo:  Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini and Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission in Brussels, Belgium on May 15, 2017