East Africa: New Report to Show State of Migration in East Africa

29 April 2023
The New Times (Kigali)
By Emmanuel Ntirenganya

A new report, "The State of Migration in the East and Horn of Africa", which takes stock of achievements and challenges in advancing regional integration and human mobility in the region, is set to be launched on May 2.

The launch will be held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi. It is expected that the President of Kenya, William Samoei Ruto, will grace it, according to a statement issued by the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat on April 28.

The statement said that the inaugural report sheds light on the mobility dimensions of regional integration in the East and Horn of Africa region.

It was co-published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Regional Office for the East and Horn of Africa, the East African Community (EAC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

As per the statement, it makes policy proposals for consideration by Member States, EAC, IGAD, and other partners in an effort to advance human mobility that is safe, orderly and regular, and contributes to the socio-economic development and integration of the region.

Covering 12 countries in the region, including Burundi, Djibouti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, it is the first comprehensive report on the mobility dimensions of regional integration, indicates information from the EAC Secretariat.

In its analysis, the report reviews migration and mobility trends, trade and mobility, labour mobility, cross- border health, climate change and human mobility, sustainable reintegration, gender, integrated border management, digitalization, and the Global Compact for Migration.

The East and Horn of Africa regioj is estimated to be home to approximately 464 million people. At the same time, it hosts 8.5 million international migrants, which includes 4.7 million labour migrant workers.

There are also 22.3 million displaced persons, of which approximately 17 million are Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and 5.4 million refugees and asylum seekers, the same data suggests.

Speaking ahead of the launch, EAC Secretary General, Peter Mathuki, said the EAC is honoured to have leveraged its skills, capacities, and resources together with IOM and IGAD to produce this flagship report.

"I am convinced that this publication is timely, useful contribution to policymaking and will better aide to implement the EAC Common Market Protocol, and advance regional integration and its mobility dimensions," said the Secretary General.

For IOM Regional Director for East and Horn Africa, Mohammed Abdiker, the upcoming report provides contemporary thinking on the mobility dimension of regional integration and serves as an intellectual compass for defining the future policy agenda of the Regional Economic Communities and governments.

Read the original article on New Times.

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