The continent is endowing itself with a precious tool for understanding and dealing with migratory phenomena. Based in Rabat, Morocco, the African Migration Observatory will be tasked with studying migration and assisting policy makers.
At the initiative of the African Union and the King of Morocco, Rabat hosts the African Migration Observatory. The purpose of this study center is to collect, analyze and exchange data on migration issues. It will be a valuable decision-support tool for African leaders and their Western partners.
The Observatory is the first body of the African Union hosted by Morocco. It was the flagship proposal of the African Agenda on Migration, presented by Mohammed VI in January 2018 at the 30th African Union summit.
The official opening took place on December 18, on the occasion of International Migrants Day. “This happy coincidence sends a strong message to the international community on the determination of Morocco and Africa to establish better migration governance on the scale of the continent”, commented Nasser Bourita, the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs and of the African cooperation.
In addition to being a pioneer, he said, this tool must be innovative, in its approach and in its operation, “by effectively working to demystify erroneous stereotypes on African migration and by a positive approach”. The aim will be to “shed light on, through objective data, the full potential of migration with regard to the migration-development link”.
The AU will create two other integrated specialized agencies, namely the African Center for Migration Studies and Research, in Bamako (Mali), and the planned Continental Operations Center in Khartoum (Sudan).
Harmonize migration policies!
For her part, Amira El Fadil, African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs, said the event was “historic and momentous for Africa”. Historical, in the sense that the Migration Observatory becomes the first continental institution of its kind in Africa. And crucial because “it marks the beginning of our efforts to generate balanced and relevant data on Africa’s needs in the field of migration”.
The event is also an opportunity to recall certain figures and to fight against preconceived ideas. Migration in Africa is predominantly intra-African: 80% of migrants stay on the continent and only 12% reach Europe, the rest going to other destinations. South Africa is believed to be the primary destination for intra-continental migration, followed by Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria.
The Observatory will help African countries by strengthening their skills, with a view to developing national migration policies enabling them to better manage migratory flows. It constitutes the practical response to compensate for the lack of data on migration in Africa and to remedy the problem of often ineffective migration policies.
According to its statutes, the Observatory’s mission will be to monitor migratory flows through the collection, analysis and sharing of data. To this end, it will have to design tools and deploy a network of statisticians responsible for collecting data. It will have to harmonize the data, and make them available for a better understanding of the interdependence between migration and development. It should also set up an information system and create a network between the various regional authorities.
This is for operational purposes, such as building the capacity of decision-makers and promoting the integration of migrants into public policies. It is also about better informing the migrants themselves, and finally, to create an African portal on migration to provide access to up-to-date data.
Reference: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2020-12/19/c_139601598.htm
