Africa and Europe: building consensus on migration

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies examines the divergent approaches to migration between Africa and Europe, arguing for a shift from securitised responses toward a collaborative partnership focused on development, legal labour pathways, and the regularisation of remittances.

• African and European perspectives on migration differ fundamentally: Africa views migration primarily as a demographic and development issue, whereas the European Union has increasingly adopted a technical, security-centred approach since 2015.
• The majority of African migrants move within the African continent, with 80% of all such migrants moving within Africa as of 2020. Among those who leave the continent, most go to Europe, though African migrants represented only 12.9% of the total international migrants in Europe in 2020.
• Remittances are a critical source of external financing for Africa, often exceeding official development assistance and foreign direct investment combined in countries such as Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, and Zimbabwe. In 2020, Africa accounted for 15.37% of global remittance inflows, totaling approximately US$82.9 billion.
• Sending money to sub-Saharan Africa is the most expensive region globally, with an average commission of 8.2%. Specific high-cost corridors include Tanzania to Uganda (24%), Angola to Namibia (22%), and South Africa to Botswana (19.6%).
• The European Union's focus on returns and readmissions is often at odds with African positions. Formal return agreements have largely failed, with Cabo Verde being the only exception, leading some countries like Ethiopia, Guinea, The Gambia, and Côte d’Ivoire to use informal agreements.
• The EU's securitised approach to migration, including the use of development cooperation funding for migration controls via the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, has had unintended negative consequences in the central Sahel, specifically in Mali and Niger, including increased instability and smuggling.
• Legal labour migration pathways are preferred by both continents but are often restricted by cost and application requirements. Initiatives like the Global Skill Partnership and pilot projects involving Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt, and Tunisia aim to expand these pathways through training and private sector cooperation.

APA

Maunganidze, O. A. (2021). Africa and Europe: building consensus on migration. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PB-166.pdf

Chicago

Maunganidze, Ottilia Anna. Africa and Europe: building consensus on migration. Institute for Security Studies, 2021. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PB-166.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Maunganidze |first1=Ottilia Anna |title=Africa and Europe: building consensus on migration |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=2021 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PB-166.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{maunganidze2021africa, author = {Maunganidze, Ottilia Anna}, title = {{Africa and Europe: building consensus on migration}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2021}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PB-166.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }