The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has urged journalists across the region to move away from sensational coverage of migration and instead highlight how safe, orderly and regulated mobility can contribute to economic growth, regional integration and human development.
The call was made during a three-day media training in Entebbe that brought together more than 30 journalists and media professionals from IGAD member states, as well as officials from the Ministries of ICT and Internal Affairs, immigration authorities and Interpol.
The training focused on the IGAD Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, migration governance, trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants and ethical reporting.
Lucy Daxbacher, Senior Migration Expert at the IGAD Secretariat, said the Free Movement Protocol is intended to establish a visa-free regional framework that provides for rights of entry, stay, exit, labour mobility, residence and establishment.
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"Five out of seven IGAD member states have signed this protocol--Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia. Djibouti and Kenya have not yet signed but are studying it," Daxbacher said.
She said none of the member states had ratified the Protocol, partly because of misconceptions surrounding its provisions.
According to Daxbacher, the framework allows for progressive implementation based on the capacity and circumstances of individual countries.
She urged stakeholders to view migration as a potential driver of development rather than automatically associating it with criminality.
"Migration should not be treated as a crime, but as a facilitator of development, safety, prosperity, peace and security," she said.
Daxbacher noted that young people make up about 60% of the region's estimated 300 million population, making access to employment opportunities and labour mobility increasingly important to the region's economic future.
Uganda's migration policy
Senior Immigration Officer Juliet Akello presented Uganda's National Migration Policy 2025 as an example of how national migration policies can support regional integration.
The policy, approved by Cabinet in August 2025 and launched in March 2026, aligns with the IGAD Free Movement Protocol and seeks to strengthen border governance, migrant protection and labour mobility.
Akello said Uganda was pursuing measures to accelerate the ratification and domestication of the Protocol while ensuring that increased mobility does not undermine national security.
She challenged journalists to provide context when reporting on migration and to avoid language that dehumanises migrants, including the use of terms such as "illegals".
Akello said responsible reporting should take into account existing national, regional and international frameworks governing migration.
Security concerns
The training also addressed the security challenges associated with cross-border movement, particularly trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants.
Senior Commissioner of Police Fred Enanga, Deputy Director of Interpol and International Relations, said criminal networks often exploit legitimate migration routes to make money through trafficking and smuggling.
"People move for employment, trade, education, family, tourism and humanitarian reasons. The security objective is to prevent exploitation and organised crime without criminalising legitimate movement," Enanga said.
He urged journalists to distinguish legitimate migration from criminal exploitation and to maintain cross-border networks that can help improve reporting on migration-related issues.
Enanga also encouraged journalists to work closely with security agencies while respecting the confidentiality of ongoing investigations.
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For journalists in the region, the training highlighted the need to balance public-interest reporting with accuracy and sensitivity, particularly when covering migrants and vulnerable populations.
Wol Mapal of Eye Radio in South Sudan said the training would help journalists challenge public misconceptions that have contributed to delays in advancing the Free Movement Protocol.
The training ended with a call for stronger collaboration between the media, governments, regional institutions and other stakeholders to improve public understanding of migration and promote safe, orderly and regular movement across the IGAD region.
With the region facing high youth unemployment, cross-border trade and movement of workers remain important components of efforts to deepen regional integration and expand economic opportunities.
The IGAD discussions therefore placed the media at the centre of efforts to shape a more informed public debate on migration, while recognising the need to address trafficking, smuggling and other security risks associated with human mobility.
