African Development Bank, IOM Launch Report on Harnessing Migration for Development in Africa

Abidjan, 22 March – The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) released today a joint report designed to support practitioners and decision makers to turn migration into a force for development in Africa. 

The report, Diaspora Engagement, Climate-Induced Migration and Skills Mobility: A Focus on Africa, examines the impact of migration on human development and poverty reduction. It provides insights to leverage the potential of the African diaspora, build climate resilience, and harness skills mobility to drive Africa’s development trajectory. 

Key findings of the report show 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. 
• 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.  
• 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 findings are a result of a two-year-long collaboration between both organizations, as well as members of the Multilateral Development Bank Platform on Economic Migration and Forced Displacement (EMFD). 

The study 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. 

For more information please contact: 

IOM (Dakar): Naomi Shiferaw, snaomi@iom.int 
AfDB (Abidjan): Linguère Mbaye, l.mbaye@afdb.org