… AfDB, International OrganisationFor Migration Launch Report On Harnessing Migration For Development In Africa
Designed to support practitioners and decision makers to turn migration into a force for development in Africa, the African Development Bank (AfDB)and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) have released a joint report titled ‘Diaspora Engagement, Climate-Induced Migration and Skills Mobility: A Focus on Africa’.
The findings are the outcome of a two-year long collaboration between both organisations, as well as members of the Multilateral Development Bank Platform on Economic Migration and Forced Displacement (EMFD).
The key findings of the report underscore the fact that diaspora engagement is key in mitigating the impact of the “brain drain” and facilitates the flow of skills and knowledge from different parts of the world to the African continent, and vice versa.
The report further shows that African diaspora communities are key in addressing climate-related issues ranging from sudden onset challenges to adaptation and disaster risk reduction when their technical expertise is leveraged, and skills mobility facilitated.
It also reveals that partnerships and collaboration remain crucial to mainstream diaspora engagement into the policy and programmatic responses to climate change and skills mobility at the national, regional, and continental levels.
The report examines the impact of migration on human development and poverty reduction, provides insights to leverage the potential of the African diaspora, build climate resilience, and harness skills mobility to drive Africa’s development trajectory.
An excerpt from the preface signed by Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, African Development Bank Group President and António Vitorino, former Director General, International Organisation for Migration, notes: “The study meticulously illustrates that when well-managed, migration can be a powerful impetus for human development and poverty reduction. It can foster sustainable and equitable economies by introducing innovation, skills, knowledge, and remittances between the countries of origin and destination.”
