Migration, a catalyst for sustainable dvt in Africa’s host and home countries
The ECA Office for North Africa and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad initiated a workshop on the contribution of migration to development in Africa in Dakar (Senegal) on Wednesday 17 January 2024.
About fifty representatives from various ministries and government institutions involved in migration management in Senegal took part in the meeting. Over the two days of the event, discussions will center on African experiences in making the most of migrants’ contributions to the development of their countries of origin; identifying tools, actions and policies that can accelerate this process; and bolstering South-South cooperation in managing migration across the continent.
“Migration can be an important pillar for the development of African economies if one can provide a better orientation of expatriates’ remittances towards investments and the financing of development in African countries,” said Khaled Hussein, head of the Sub-regional Initiatives Section at the ECA Office in North Africa.
“Diasporas contribute significantly to the economic and social development of our countries, which are essentially countries of origin but also host countries. They do so by transferring money, skills, technologies, governance models, values, and ideas. The Senegalese government is aware of the changes needed as we strive to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration in Senegal. Following the validation of the national migration policy document our government is working following an inclusive approach to migration in order to improve the synergy between Migration and Development,” said for his part H.E. Ibrahima Cissé, Foreign Affairs Advisor and Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad.
Intra-African migration is a key component of regional integration, hence the need for countries to develop public policies that benefit migrants, their countries of origin and their host countries.
Migration is beneficial for both host countries and countries of origin. While host countries can benefit from skills transfers, dynamic workforces, human capital development and technical progress, countries of origin can benefit from remittances, improved living conditions for families and human capital accumulation, leading to reduced poverty and accelerated development.
This workshop is being organized as part of an ECA project initiated in accordance with the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, “The Africa We Want,” with a special focus on SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth), 1 (No poverty), 10 (Reduced inequalities) and 4 (Quality education).
This event concludes a series of workshops and research work carried out in Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Zimbabwe between 2021 and 2023 with a focus on migration statistics and migrant skills’ recognition.
