High rates of migration between African countries are putting pressure on governments to implement policies that better integrate those individuals

Much has been said on the rise of migration in recent years including ample debate on the link between migration and development. The focus, however, often seems to be on movements from developing to OECD countries. While this is a growing trend, most flows are in fact between nearby developing countries, where common languages and cultures transcend borders, and porous controls make it easier for workers to move to areas with more job opportunities.

In Africa, new flows are being forged as economically booming countries become magnets for workers in countries such as Nigeria and South Africa. The discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea in 2007 combined with a decade of steady democratic rule turned Ghana, for instance, into an attractive migrant destination in west Africa. With a lack of jobs in Mali, Togo and Côte d’Ivoire - once the region’s economic darling - workers are flocking there to find employment.

Overall, 63 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s migrants were born in another African country - the highest rate in the world. Restricting the region to west Africa, the rate becomes 75 percent. Regional flows have accelerated as technology continues to make it easier and cheaper to travel and obtain information on jobs, and as legal routes into richer countries are increasingly closing.

Meanwhile, environmental deterioration in areas where populations heavily rely on agriculture is pushing citizens to look for work elsewhere. As Africa’s population continues to grow - by 2050 it will surpass the two billion mark - intra-regional migration will rise.

Just like in OECD countries, however, integrating a diverse workforce comes with a challenge. One remarkable fact amid the high rate of movement in Africa is the lack of integration policy for foreign workers. Recent history suggests that such policies are important. In South Africa, for instance, when riots erupted in the streets of Johannesburg following economic recession in 2008, the targets were immigrants from neighbouring countries. While the situation eventually died down, it left many casualties in its wake and the economic consequences will be long-felt.

Another example is Côte d’Ivoire. Over the last decade, the country has faced severe economic and political instability, for which immigrants have often become scapegoats. In 2005, there were over two million migrants living in the country, most of them working the cocoa fields in the north. The nation is slowly getting back on its feet, but recovering from more than a decade of instability will take a long time. By contrast, a country like Ghana, whose economic success also relies on immigrants, has been spared major social problems related to migration over the last decades. That said, the country is not impervious to stigmatisation and discrimination. Tensions have recently surfaced due to an increase of foreign workers, and the situation could rapidly worsen if public authorities do not react in time.

In Africa, a different integration approach is needed than those of richer countries. There is no easy solution. It is hard to argue for greater rights and services such as formal jobs, social protection and access to schools for migrants when locals may not have access to such goods themselves. Before tackling the transition from informal to formal jobs, migrant workers should be at least free of all forms of labour and social discrimination. What is warranted in Africa is a sweeping policy, beyond the political legislative exercise, to avoid marginalisation and ghettoisation and incorporate immigrants into society through better job-matching and access to education for children, as well as to decent accommodation.

Given the current economic climate, this may seem like a daunting task, but examples are starting to surface. To avoid issues similar to 2008, South Africa took steps towards better integration of its immigrants, including a shift to local levels of management. South Africa handed the reins to municipalities, which in turn spawned a loans and savings scheme in Cape Town and a migrants’ help desk in Johannesburg.

There are benefits to migration, which can help African economies continue growing. To make that growth sustainable, the integration of migrant workers cannot be ignored.

David Khoudour and Jason Gagnon are economists at the OECD Development Centre