Ugandans Support Cross-Border Mobility for East Africans, but Want Fewer Immigrants

7 August 2024
Afrobarometer (Accra)
By Maakwe Cumanzala and Rehan Visser

More than four in 10 citizens say they have considered emigrating.

Key findings

  • Eight in 10 Ugandans (79%) say East Africans should be able to move freely across international borders in order to trade or work in other countries. Only one in five (20%) think the government should limit people's cross-border movement. o But about two-thirds (65%) of respondents say that, in practice, crossing international borders is "difficult" or "very difficult."
  • Almost six in 10 citizens (58%) see migrants' economic impacts on Uganda as generally positive.
  • And majorities say they wouldn't mind living next door to foreign workers or immigrants (73%) or refugees (64%).
  • Even so, three-fourths of Ugandans say the government should reduce the number of foreign job seekers it allows to enter the country (58%) or eliminate such immigration altogether (18%). o A similar majority favour reducing (55%) or eliminating (18%) entry by refugees.
  • More than four in 10 respondents (42%) say they have considered leaving Uganda. o This figure is highest among the most educated (59% of those with post-secondary education) and the youth (51% of 18- to 35-year-olds). o Half (50%) of people who are currently unemployed have thought about leaving Uganda, while nearly as many part-time workers (49%) and full-time workers (45%) have considered emigration.
  • The most common reasons cited for potential emigration are economic, led by finding work opportunities (56% of those who have considered emigrating).
  • The most popular destination among potential emigrants is North America (26%). Almost as many (23%) would move to another country on the African continent. The Middle East (18%) and Europe (15%) are next on the list of preferred destinations.

Migration in Africa has a rich and complex history, effectively spanning our species' time on Earth. And while borders separating polities have long existed (and shifted), formal boundaries were first drawn up during the period of European colonialism, often with little regard for people living in or travelling through affected areas (Gashaw, 2017).

Some scholars and advocates argue that a more liberal African migration regime could drive integration, pan-Africanism, and "cultural empathy"; promote cultural and economic ties that traverse national boundaries; and open new avenues for innovation, trade, investment, and employment (Hirsch, 2023; Economic Commission for Africa, 2023).

Uganda is a country that faces significant migration challenges, with respect to both inflows and outflows of people. As a major destination for migrants, it is host to an estimated 1.7 million refugees and asylum seekers. Its migration policies have been described as "progressive" thanks to efforts to integrate migrants, but the influx has challenged the country's capacity to respond adequately (GIZ, 2024).

Out-migration is also an important issue for the country. Remittances from labour migrants total nearly US$1 billion annually (Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, 2022). But many who leave for better opportunities, particularly those working in the Middle East, are subject to human trafficking, sexual abuse, and exploitative labour practices. One study found that 89% of Ugandans working in the Middle East "reported experiences consistent with human trafficking" (Global Fund to End Modern Slavery, 2022).

In response, the government is developing the Better Migration Management Programme, which aims to improve migration governance, strengthen institutions to address smuggling of migrants, and protect victims of trafficking (GIZ, 2024). Practical steps taken so far include a task force dedicated to preventing human trafficking and a guide to travelling and working in the Middle East, along with a training programme (Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, 2022).

Afrobarometer's Round 10 survey sought ordinary Ugandans' perspectives on migration. Findings reveal that while citizens favour the free movement of people to work and trade in East Africa, most want fewer migrants, or even none whatsoever, to come into their own country. This view prevails even though majorities of respondents perceive migrant workers as contributing positive economic value and profess no reservations about living among foreign workers or refugees.

Meanwhile, a large plurality of Ugandans, including nearly half of the labour force, have themselves considered emigration, mostly for economic reasons. Despite the challenges of working in the Middle East, nearly one-fifth of potential emigrants would look to move there. Young and highly educated citizens are especially likely to contemplate moving abroad.

Maakwe Cumanzala Maakwe Cumanzala is a Neubauer Family Economics and Public Policy PhD student at Tufts University.

Rehan Visser Rehan Visser is an editor at Afrobarometer

Read the original article on Afrobarometer.

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