Expert analyses, op-eds and contributions on African migration dynamics.
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The claim that women make up 47% of international migrants in Senegal is often held up as proof that migration is becoming more female. It deserves a closer look. Behind this figure, which people repeat without context, lies a more complex reality shaped by global forces and stubborn inequalities. On 3 March, UN Women Senegal …
In an era when transfers are reshaping the careers of African sporting champions, the movement of players and the rise of new opportunities are reshaping athletes’ paths across the continent. With a growing pool of talent and international ambitions, Africa is establishing itself as a major sporting force. In 2022, more than 1,300 African footballers …
Social media, private messaging apps and certain websites are full of job offers promising attractive salaries in Europe, the United States, Canada, Kuwait, Lebanon and other African countries. Some are genuine. Many, sadly, are well-organised scams. Every year, job seekers lose money, hand over their personal documents and find themselves in acutely vulnerable situations. Young …
Environmental change does not produce the same forms of mobility across West Africa. It affects livelihoods, access to resources and people’s ability to stay, move, circulate or return. Drawing on the IOM–UN Migration report, published in 2021, Environmental Migration, Disaster Displacement and Planned Relocation in West Africa, this article shifts the focus away from identifying …
The free movement of people has been a recognised right in West Africa for over forty years. However, in public and media debate, people living in a neighbouring country are still often referred to as ‘migrants’ or ‘foreigners’. This lexical confusion undermines regional integration and perpetuates imported clichés. Using the correct terminology therefore becomes an …
Internal mobility, particularly the movement of populations from rural to urban areas, is one of the most striking demographic phenomena of the 21st century. This is particularly evident in Africa, where rapid urbanisation is transforming the social and economic structures of cities. This raises the important question of whether internal migration increases the risk of …
Confusion often arises due to the way non-nationals are perceived in a third country. With the current narrative surrounding migration, non-nationals are not always welcomed. This can be seen in the terms used to refer to them, even when they are students. Every year, thousands of young people cross borders to study in a neighbouring …
At the crossroads of forced displacement and disability, the Sahel harbours a population that neither statistics nor migration policies can fully name. Women migrants with disabilities are rendered invisible three times over by gender, migratory status and disability alike, in a region where conflict, climate crisis and state fragility drive millions from their homes and …
Climate change and forced displacement are converging to create a silent but profound crisis for women and girls in the Sahel. Drawing on Plan International’s A Gathering Storm study, Juli-Collette NSAH and Awa Faly BA examine how environmental shocks and insecurity are deepening menstrual precarity among adolescent girls and young women. With insights from Baltazar …
As Senegal grapples with unprecedented migration challenges, a recent study by the pan-African Afrobarometer network reveals that half of all Senegalese are considering emigrating. The survey portrays a society at a crossroads, caught between the younger generation’s aspiration to seek opportunities abroad and the complex realities of managing migration and hosting foreign nationals at home. …
