According to Sylvia Ekra, the IOM’s Regional Director, it is crucial that migration policies are grounded in local contexts. “Migration and mobility lie at the heart of our region’s history and future,” she emphasises.
The tools needed to achieve this already exist, including the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Global Compact for Migration. Together, these frameworks offer ways to turn mobility into a driver of development, social cohesion and climate resilience.
The IOM report makes one thing clear: West African migration does not equate to an exodus to the West. Above all, it is an internal force that shapes societies, sustains economies and strengthens regional integration. Recognising this reality requires moving beyond clichés and viewing African mobility as a dynamic and strategic driver of the continent’s future.