At the opening of the 7th Harmattan Forum organised by the Clinique d’Expertise Juridique et Sociale (CEJUS) – the Legal and Social Expertise Clinic on 18 February 2026 in Lomé, Professor Dosseh-Anyron, a faculty member in the Law Department and President of the Scientific Council of the International School of Technology and Business (ISTB), painted a rather concerning picture of the global migration landscape.
Drawing on United Nations data, he revealed that nearly 120 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide in 2024, including 43 million refugees. These populations are fleeing armed conflict, persecution, human rights violations and environmental disasters.
In the face of the scale and growing complexity of migration flows, managing migrant-related data – including administrative documents, asylum applications, health records and security information – has become a significant challenge for governments. In this context, the use of cutting-edge technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), is a strategic necessity.
According to Le Bon Road Trip, electronic documents required prior to boarding have become a central component of migration and tourism procedures. These digital formalities enable the relevant authorities to collect vital health, customs and immigration information in advance. The objective is clear: to significantly reduce waiting times at borders and streamline control procedures.
This transformation implies a new way of organising journeys for travellers. Preparing for a trip now involves more than just obtaining a traditional visa; it also requires anticipating online administrative procedures to ensure a swift and seamless passage upon arrival.
The platform also highlights that international students, medical tourists, pilgrims and businesspeople are a valuable asset to national economies. Recognising this, several countries are seeking to simplify visa conversion processes, extend authorised stays and, in some cases, facilitate access to permanent residence. This trend is expected to intensify in 2026 and 2027.
According to Le Bon Road Trip, automation and artificial intelligence could transform the processing of immigration applications. Governments are therefore encouraged to utilise these technologies to reduce administrative burdens and make procedures more transparent, efficient and predictable.
The effective integration of artificial intelligence could significantly reduce bottlenecks in the processing of applications. This would free up administrative staff to focus on the in-depth assessment of complex cases, relieving them of repetitive tasks.
According to the YouTube channel ia-info, Switzerland is preparing to take a decisive step in the use of artificial intelligence in migration governance. The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is exploring the use of algorithms to support the decision-making process for asylum applications.
This initiative could transform the administrative management of refugees by accelerating decisions and standardising certain assessment criteria. However, it raises fundamental questions about striking the right balance between bureaucratic efficiency and respect for human rights. Partially delegating decision-making authority to automated systems requires robust safeguards in terms of transparency, non-discrimination and the protection of personal data.
In Africa, artificial intelligence is used for more than just administrative processing. According to the World Bank Blogs, the organisation uses AI models to predict refugee movements from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan to Uganda.
These models are reported to achieve an accuracy rate exceeding 80% by analysing data related to conflict dynamics, climatic conditions and economic indicators. This approach relies on contextual data covering economic, social, and environmental factors. This includes indicators associated with armed conflict, climate variability, vegetation patterns, infrastructure development, local economic activity, and online discourse on these issues.
This method is based on the fundamental principle that human behaviour is not solely determined by measurable events, but also by individuals’ perceptions of change. Integrating this dimension enables artificial intelligence to become a strategic forecasting tool, helping states and international organisations to plan reception capacities and humanitarian assistance more effectively.
Despite ongoing debates surrounding the use of AI in managing migrant and refugee data, the global trend appears to be moving towards fully digitising the traveller’s journey.
According to Le Bon Road Trip, the long-term goal is to create a consistent, uninterrupted, fully digital mobility system. In this vision, crossing borders would no longer be associated with administrative uncertainty, but rather with rapid, secure biometric verification.
