UNECA Urges African Nations to Leverage Migration for Socioeconomic Development

By Xinhua 

January 19, 2024

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has called on African countries to harness the potential of migration as a catalyst to the socioeconomic development of Africa.

“Migration can be an important pillar for the development of African economies if one can provide a better orientation of expatriates’ remittances toward investments and the financing of development in African countries,” a UNECA statement quoted Khaled Hussein, head of the sub-regional Initiatives Section at the UNECA Office in North Africa, as saying.

The call was made at a migration-themed workshop organized by the UNECA Office for North Africa on the contribution of migration to development in Africa in Dakar, capital of Senegal that opened Wednesday.

The two-day meeting, which brought together about 50 experts and representatives of different institutions involved in migration management, discussed Africa’s experiences in making the most of migrants’ contributions to the development of their countries of origin, according to the UNECA.

According to the UNECA, intra-African migration is a key component of regional integration, hence the need for African countries to develop public policies that benefit migrants, their countries of origin and their host countries.

Noting that migration is beneficial for both host countries and countries of origin, the UNECA said host countries can benefit from skills transfers, dynamic workforces, human capital development and technical progress. It said countries of origin can benefit from remittances, improved living conditions for families and human capital accumulation, leading to reduced poverty and accelerated development.