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A Common West African Approach to Migration

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   SWAC Work on Migration:

Mobility with the ECOWAS zone is a vital component of regional integration, which is itself a prerequisite for the West African economy’s successful integration into the globalisation process. The free movement within the region has also significantly contributed to the reduction in the migratory pressures beyond ECOWAS borders. The ECOWAS Common Approach on Migration outlines migration and development actions plans around six core principles aiming to address West Africa’s migration and development challenges. > ECOWAS Common Approach on Migration
Background | Key Issues | Objectives | SWAC Work | Contacts & Documents 

  Background

The ECOWAS Commission was provided with the mandate to define a joint regional approach on migration at the 30th Ordinary ECOWAS Heads of State and Government Summit in Abuja in June 2006. At the meeting in Ouagadougou on 20 December 2006, the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council reaffirmed this priority, requesting the Commission President to: “pursue the consultative process for the definition of a common approach to the management of intra-regional migration and migration to Europe in all its aspects”. Undertaking this mandate, the ECOWAS Commission initiated a strategic thinking process with a view to defining a joint regional approach on migration. The SWAC facilitated this process that led to the approval of the ECOWAS Common Approach on Migration in January 2008.

 

 Key Issues

West African citizens are among the world’s most mobile populations. Population censuses indicate that the region’s countries now harbour approximately 7.5 million migrants from other West African countries – almost 3% of the regional population. ECOWAS’ objective is to establish a link between migration and development, define its negative impacts and give priority to the following six questions:

  • How can the gains of intra-regional mobility be promoted and how can free movement within the ECOWAS zone be guaranteed?
  • How can mobility be supported and local development in departure zones and other potential host areas be encouraged?
  • How can regular migration to third countries be optimised, notably in Africa, Europe, North America?
  • How can irregular migration be brought under control effectively?
  • How to protect migrant’s and asylum seekers rights?
  • How to include the gender dimension in migration policies giving the growing number of women migrants?

  Objectives

The SWAC's work on migration aims to contribute to the following objectives:

  • Improve the understanding of the migration issues in West Africa
  • Analyse the evolution of migration dynamics as well as national migration policies of West African and OECD member countries
  • Promote the free movement of persons within the ECOWAS zone to foster intra-regional mobility
  • Facilitate the implementation of the ECOWAS Common Approach on Migration

   SWAC Work on Migration

The SWAC launched various initiatives aiming to improve the understanding of West African migration dynamics and thereby support ECOWAS' efforts to develop and implement a common West African approach on migration.

  • Thematic Analyses: the SWAC produced an Atlas chapter on "Migration" analysing the major migration dynamics within West Africa and towards North Africa and Europe. The SWAC also elaborated an analytical document on the Socio-Economic and Regional Context of West African Migration;

  • Strategic Thinking on a Joint ECOWAS Approach on Migration: The SWAC collaborated in the development of a common regional ECOWAS approach to migration that promotes the free intra-regional movement of persons. Efforts still need to be agreed upon so that West Africa can co-ordinate and provide the international community with regional proposals for political dialogue and action. > ECOWAS Common Approach on Migration

  • EU-Africa Dialogue on Migration and Development: the SWAC participated in preparatory workshops within the framework of the process initiated by the Rabat Conference (July 2006) and the Euro-African partnership for migration and development:

    • Experts Meeting on Migration and Development in Dakar (Senegal), 9-11 July 2008 aiming to provide inputs for the preparation of the 2nd EU-Africa Ministerial Conference on Migration and Development >SWAC presentation (French)

    • Experts Meeting on the Common Appraoch in Dakar (Senegal) in March 2007 to draft a proposal for a joint ECOWAS approach on migration > SWAC mission report (French); 

  • A Regional Migration Database: the Dakar Research Institute for Development (IDR-Dakar) with the support of the SWAC, the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) and the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar (UCAD), is setting up a regional database on migration. This two-year programme, funded by the European Commission, focuses on six countries in the region so as to have a better understanding of West African migration, evaluate its evolution from the south, and review migration-related legislation in order to foster concerted dialogue between ECOWAS and the EU.

  • West African Mobility and Migration Policies in OECD Countries: This SWAC/OECD publication contributes to the Euro-African dialogue initiated at the Rabat Conference in July 2006: it reviews migration policies in the main OECD countries receiving West African migrants and analyses the recent discussions within Europe. This report lists common approaches undertaken in Europe, Africa and West Africa and aims to shed light on decision makers’ strategic thinking. It provides the greater public with an objective understanding of this recent dynamic. > learn more

  • Regional Stakes of West African Migration: this SWAC/OECD publication addresses the potential, constraints and prospects of the West African joint approach on migration. How can a regional strategy be useful for West African states' national policies? How can a regional approach support Euro-African dialogue? Analysis will feed into the 2nd Euro-African Conference on Migration and Development that will be held in November 2008 in Paris. Various West African migration experts participated in this review and thereby enlarged institutional dialogue with civil society actors' viewpoints. > upcoming publication (November 2008)

 

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