African Migration

African migration is predominately within the continent, particularly between neighbouring countries. In 2013, 65 percent of the 20 million sub-Saharan African migrants, who had left their countries, were still living in the region. Migration within and outside of Africa is expected to increase, in part because of continued population growth, with the working-age population of Africa expected to double to 1,3 billion by 2050.

The leading host countries for migrants in Africa are Côte d’Ivoire (with 2,3 million African migrants), South Africa (2 million) and Nigeria (0,9 million). Gabon, Algeria and Morocco are emerging as African migration destinations.

Meanwhile, Uganda and Ethiopia host the largest refugee populations on the continent. In December 2017, Uganda was home to over 1,4 million refugees (75 percent of them from South Sudan). Ethiopia currently hosts over 890 000 refugees (most of whom are from neighbouring South Sudan and Somalia). 

Drivers of African migration include the desire for a better and safer life, and the search for work. People are also forced to move by war, harsh economic climates, bad governance and environmental degradation. Remittances – money sent by migrants to their home countries – are one of the biggest benefits of migration for African countries. n 2008, they overtook foreign direct investment and international aid as the largest source of foreign exchange earnings for sub-Saharan African countries. 

However, Africa’s loss of skilled and educated people remains a major negative consequence of migration. There are some policies and legal frameworks in place in Africa.