Plenary Presentations
Session Chair
Bernardino Koku Avle is a broadcast journalist and media executive with over two decades of experience. He serves as the General Manager of Citi FM and Channel One TV, hosting both Citi FM’s award-winning The Citi Breakfast Show and Channel One TV’s The Point of View. A pioneer in leveraging commercial broadcasting to advocate for good governance and accountability in Ghana, Bernard was named the 2017 GJA Journalist of the Year. He holds a First-Class Honours degree in Economics from the University of Ghana and an MBA from Warwick University. He is an Edward R. Murrow Fellow, a Chevening Scholar, a Fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative (ALI) West Africa, and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
Discussant
David Ofosu-Dorte
David Ofosu-Dorte is the Senior Partner of AB & David Africa, a pan-African business law firm with offices in 5 countries and a network spanning 24 African nations. He specializes in construction, project finance, power, and public-private partnerships (PPPs). Highly regarded by IFLR 1000 and Chambers Global, David has led numerous landmark infrastructure transactions. Beyond law, he holds master’s degrees in Public Administration and Applied Business Research, is a Fellow of CILT (UK), and served on the Association of Ghana Industries Governing Council. He also served on Nigeria’s National Competitiveness Council and leads key private-sector initiatives with the AfroChampions organization.
Speakers
Sabelo Mbokazi is Head of the Labour, Employment and Migration Division at the African Union Commission. He brings extensive experience advising heads of state and ministers to drive the AU Migration Policy Framework and Agenda 2063. He has led key initiatives, including the Africa Climate Mobility Initiative, the Africa Migration Centres, and the AU strategy for the Social and Solidarity Economy. Previously with the SADC Parliamentary Forum and IOM, he co-chairs the AU-EU Migration Dialogue and leads the AU-EU-UN Tripartite Taskforce coordinating migrant repatriations from Libya.
Rethinking African migration narratives: Promises and pitfalls of a decolonial approach
Rethinking migration requires addressing the colonial legacies that underpin the field, making a decolonial approach essential for migration studies in general and African migration in particular. Biased narratives, Eurocentric frameworks, and the increasing criminalization or "crisis" framing of African mobility call for decolonizing and decentering African migration studies. This project involves "deghettoizing" the African narrative and critically examining how historical, political, economic, and ecological conditions shape both mobilities and immobilities. A decolonial and reflexive approach goes beyond conceptualizing migration merely as a problem; it questions arbitrary borders and deconstructs prevailing theories, methods, concepts, and policy agendas. By considering contextual drivers alongside mobility patterns and trends, this presentation examines the meaning, potential, promises, and pitfalls of applying a decolonial and reflexive lens to African migration.
Ibrahima Amadou Dia is Director of the African Centre for the Study and Research on Migration (African Union Commission). He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Geneva, an M.A. in Development Studies from Geneva’s Graduate Institute, and an M.A. in Sociology from Gaston Berger University, Senegal. With extensive academic and policy experience across Africa, Europe, and North America, he has advised international organizations and government stakeholders, drafted national migration policies and action plans, published widely, and led funded research projects on migration and social policy.
Integrating migrant experiences into migration governance processes
As migration shapes Africa’s development, effective governance must be informed by migrants' lived experiences, yet policies across the continent remain largely state-driven with limited migrant participation. This presentation examines the benefits of integrating migrant perspectives into African migration governance, highlighting how their practical insights into mobility pathways, labour markets, protection risks, service access, and cross-border realities improve policy design and implementation. Drawing on emerging practices in labour migration, diaspora engagement, and regional mobility, the presentation shows how centering migrant voices enhances legitimacy, accountability, institutional trust, and practical problem-solving. Ultimately, institutionalizing migrant participation is crucial for building rights-based, development-oriented, and sustainable governance.
Linda Adhiambo Oucho is Executive Director of the African Migration and Development Policy Centre (AMADPOC) in Nairobi and a Part-time Professor at the Migration Policy Centre, the European University Institute, Florence, Italy. With a PhD in Ethnic Relations from University of Warwick focusing on African women’s migration agency, her research spans migration governance, labour migration, regional integration, free movement in Africa, irregular migration and forced displacement. She collaborates with organizations like IOM, ILO, IDRC, and GIZ, working closely with African governments and the African Union Commission, international agencies and academic institutions to develop evidence-based migration policy solutions.
Morocco’s hybrid governance of mobility: Externalization, border management, and migrant experiences
Mobility between Europe and Africa is governed through a dispersed architecture of border zones, return programs, and diplomatic agreements, with Morocco playing a pivotal role as a site of emigration, transit, immigration, and asylum. Beyond simple border containment, attempted crossings into Ceuta and Melilla redistribute movement, uncertainty, and waiting across Moroccan territory. Drawing on qualitative research at the intersection of migration, border, and governance studies, this paper examines how Morocco manages mobility through hybrid arrangements—combining border control, humanitarian protection, development, and diplomacy involving European and local actors. This hybrid governance operates across distinct spatial corridors and temporal rhythms, balancing domestic priorities, African diplomacy, and EU relations. The paper highlights the need for stronger institutional coordination, accountability, asylum systems, and expanded legal pathways.
Myriam Cherti is the lead IDRC Research Chair on Forced Displacement at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and a Senior Researcher at COMPAS, University of Oxford. She previously worked with IOM in the UK and Morocco, helped organize the Global Forum for Migration and Development, and led migration research at the IPPR in London. An expert in irregular migration, forced displacement, and migrant integration, she holds a PhD in Migration Studies from the University of Sussex and an MSc from LSE.
Semi-Plenary Session 2a — Borders and the Externalization of Migration Governance
Migration controls and migration management have been increasingly externalized during the last ten years. Major destination countries withhold development aid and tie visa regimes to origin and transit countries’ capacity to prevent migrants from leaving. These pressures have created important challenges around the world. They disrupt regional economies that rely on cross border movement and expose migrants to severe human rights violations. They also enhance the role and power of criminal networks that smuggle migrants across borders and exploit migrants in waiting. This panel brings together experts from Latin America, North and West Africa to discuss the dynamics of border externalisation and propose alternative solutions to manage international migration.
Session Chair
Faisal Garba is Associate Professor of Sociology, Migration, and Mobility at The Africa Institute and a Research Associate at the University of Freiburg’s Institut für Soziologie. Educated at Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Universities of Ghana, Cape Town, and Freiburg, he has held fellowships across Africa, Asia, and Europe and conducted extensive fieldwork in Germany, Ghana, India, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and the US.
Speakers
Externalization: another brick in the wall of exceptionalism
This presentation focuses on how the growing outsourcing of migration governance represents a further step toward constructing a "state of exception". This progressive exceptionalism is characterized by the gradual restriction or elimination of fundamental rights and guarantees within migration management, particularly through policies designed to control human mobility. The presentation provides concrete examples of this regressive process, highlighting the mechanisms states use to outsource their obligations under international human rights law.
Pablo Ceriani Cernadas is Director of the Specialization on Migration, Asylum, and Human Rights at the University of Lanús. A former Independent Expert on the UN Committee on Migrant Workers, he co-coordinated UN Joint General Comments on child migrants (2017) and anti-xenophobia guidelines (2025). He is a professor across multiple universities, Executive Committee member of Metropolis International, co-editor of the IOM World Migration Report 2026, and a consultant for various UN agencies. He holds a PhD in Human Rights.
African responses to deportation pressures
A major consequence of policy externalization is the intense pressure placed on African countries to sign repatriation agreements for returning both their own citizens and third-country nationals. Focusing on African state perspectives, this paper examines the motivations behind entering into these formal and informal agreements, as well as how states resist them. Without close analysis, state responses can be misunderstood, as strategies range from reluctant compliance to proactive non-compliance. The paper concludes by examining recent US pressure on foreign governments to accept deportees, arguing that despite lacking formal post-colonial ties, underlying exploitative dynamics persist. Ultimately, African governments possess greater leeway to refuse deportations than typically recognized, a capacity that could be further strengthened through coordinated regional responses.
Franzisca Zanker is the Deputy Director of the Arnold Bergstraesser Institute (ABI) in Freiburg, Germany, where she heads the research cluster on "Patterns of (Forced) Migration". Co-founder of the AEGIS Collaborative Research Group on African Migration, Mobility, and Displacement, her research focuses on migration and refugee governance, civil society, and peacebuilding. She has conducted extensive empirical fieldwork across West and Southern Africa—including Liberia, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, and The Gambia—and currently leads an ERC-funded project on "The Political Lives of Migrants: perspectives from Africa".
Asylum and protection mercenarism: effects of European externalisation on African
migration governance
Since the so-called European immigration crisis of 2015, numerous attempts have been made to stem the flow of irregular migrants into Europe. This context has triggered several vague and populist "innovative" externalization policies focused on outsourcing asylum processing and hosting responsibilities—for a fee—to mostly impoverished or opportunistic third countries. We characterize this practice as "asylum and protection mercenarism". We assess the impact of these short-sighted yet devastating policies on continental efforts to establish a rights-based approach to migration governance in Africa. We conclude that externalizing asylum responsibilities by turning third countries into asylum and protection mercenaries directly undermines the global rules-based system.
Leander Kandilige is an Associate Professor of Migration Studies at the Centre for Migration Studies, University of Ghana. He holds a DPhil in Migration Studies and an MSt in Forced Migration from the University of Oxford, along with degrees from the University of Southampton and University of Ghana. His research focuses on migration policy, labor mobility, regional integration, return migration, and migration theory. He has served as Principal Investigator and researcher on numerous major projects funded by international organizations, including the African Union, ILO, OECD, IOM, ICMPD, UKRI/GCRF, GIZ, EU, and ECOWAS.
Invisible Walls: Externalization, Governance, and the U.S.–Mexico Migration Nexus
This presentation addresses the current externalization of borders in Mexico in response to U.S. demands, framed within Keohane and Nye’s paradigm of complex interdependence. Although its origins trace back to the first administration of Donald Trump, the critical phase implemented between 2025 and 2026 serves as the primary focal point for analyzing its impacts on irregular migrants stranded in Mexico, as well as evaluating the state of migration governance now that the country has become a destination. The presentation also examines the complex, overlapping agreements between both nations aimed at containing irregular migration flows while simultaneously securitizing borders. Given the unique characteristics and dynamics of this case—shaped by variables of coercion and cooperation—it may serve as a useful reference for other nations.
Silvia Núñez García is a Tenured Researcher on U.S.–Mexico relations at the Center for Research on North America (CISAN-UNAM), which she directed from 2009 to 2017, and lectures on North American Studies at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She previously directed UNAM’s Los Angeles branch (2021–2022) and served as a Visiting Scholar at Georgetown, Michigan State, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and IULM Milan. A member of the Metropolis International Steering Committee since 2009 and former Vice President of AMEI, her research focuses on social problems, migration, and gender in North America.
Semi-Plenary Session 2b - Forced Displacement, Humanitarian Crises & Development
The last few years have been characterized by persistent humanitarian crises and conflicts in regions such as Sudan, Eritrea, Syria, Venezuela and the displacement of Rohingya in South Asia. At the same time, new conflicts are erupting, notably in Iran and Ukraine, creating both internal and international displacement. While some positive developments have emerged – such as expanded protection frameworks for Venezuelan refugees in Latin America and Ukrainian refugees in Europe and North America – most host nations exhibit growing reluctance toward accepting refugees. A trope of ‘responsibility’ marks asylum and refugee debates, with countries neighbouring a conflict region expected to host those displaced, and civil society expected to fill the gaps left by decreased funding for international assistance. At the same time, refugees themselves are expected to take ‘responsibility’ for their own lives and to be self-reliant. This panel takes stock of the dynamics from different regions including South and Southeast Asia, East and West Africa, and Europe and the Middle East to discuss the most important developments in the field and lessons for the future.
Session Chair
Mary Boatemaa Setrana is Associate Professor of Migration and Social Change and Director of the Centre for Migration Studies at the University of Ghana. She also holds the IDRC Research Chair on Forced Displacement in Anglophone West Africa. Mary served as the lead facilitator for Botswana’s National Migration Policy and previously worked as a consultant for national migration policies in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. A scientific committee member of CODESRIA, she has led international research projects supported by the European Union, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Humanitarian approaches to educating children when schools become IDP shelters: Experiences from Gaza and Lebanon
Displacement during conflict turns schools into emergency shelters, disrupting formal education. Examining experiences from Gaza and Lebanon, this presentation evaluates humanitarian approaches to sustaining learning, highlighting adaptive curricula, psychosocial support, and structural strategies to preserve educational continuity during ongoing crises.
Sawsan Abdulrahim (PhD, MPH) is Professor of Public Health and IDRC Research Chair in Forced Displacement at the American University of Beirut, and a Visiting Fellow at Harvard’s FXB Center. Her research examines health inequities, forced migration, and refugee well-being in the Arab region. She recently led community-engaged studies on Syrian refugee adolescent girls and migrant care workers in Lebanon. She teaches forced migration, global health, research methods, and social epidemiology.
Humanitarian aid and regional development in East Africa
While studies criticize humanitarian aid for creating dependency and diverting resources through high administrative overhead, this paper examines how aid governance modalities have shifted following recent sustainable development initiatives. Focusing on Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda—three countries with long histories of hosting refugees—it asks who informs and participates in humanitarian planning, interrogating the inclusion of hosting states and individuals with lived experience. The paper argues that while emergency aid is necessary, current refugee governance fosters protractedness, dependency, and donor fatigue rather than transformative change. Overreliance on aid produces populations left idle in camps despite local agricultural opportunities, hindering regional development and deepening long-term marginalization. As declining aid prompts host nations to restrict policies, the long-term viability of humanitarian aid is questioned. The paper draws on empirical fieldwork conducted in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda from 2023 to 2026 to offer a comparative analysis, advocating for a broader regional development framework over localized, area-based approaches.
Opportuna Kweka is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Dar es Salaam. A political economist specializing in refugee and IDP issues, she holds a PhD from the University of Minnesota and MA and BA degrees from the University of Dar es Salaam. She chairs the University’s Research Chair on Forced Displacement (UDSM-RCFD) and leads an IDRC-funded initiative in East Africa, directing an interdisciplinary team of 32 researchers focused on forced displacement.
From coercion-centred return governance to responsible return governance Perspective
In contemporary international migration governance, coercion is increasingly inherent to all forms of return targeting irregular migrants, rejected asylum seekers, and refugees across major global migration corridors. Coercion operates on a spectrum, ranging from nominal "voluntary" return programs to unlawful pushbacks and emerging return hubs, via formal, informal, and structural mechanisms that make staying untenable. Addressing these realities requires a forward-looking "heuristic of responsibility" obligating actors to tackle structural injustices. Drawing on past lessons and current dynamics, this talk introduces "responsible return governance," resting on three interconnected pillars: grounding practices in fundamental principles like non-refoulement and migrant agency; addressing systemic and operational flaws within return systems; and evaluating policy outcomes with the same rigor as design and implementation. These considerations are crucial for confronting prolonged displacement, humanitarian crises, and development challenges in Africa and globally.
Zeynep Sahin Mencütek is based at the University of Osnabrück and is a recipient of an ERC Consolidator Grant to study multilevel responsibility in displacement. She co-leads the Horizon Europe project GAPs on return policies, and previously served as a Senior Researcher at the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studie. Zeynep is also a Research Affiliate at the Global Migration Institute, Toronto Metropolitan University. She holds a PhD from the University of Southern California. Author of Refugee Governance, State and Politics in the Middle East (2018), she serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Migration Studies.
Experience of Forced Displacement Go Metropolitan Governance in the IGAD Region: Challenges in Sustaining Sound Local Policy and Practice Initiatives that are Dependent on Global Finance
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has emerged as a key African regional body initiating policy frameworks to address forced displacement. Following the 2016 New York Declaration and the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework, IGAD endorsed over half a dozen regional initiatives, including the Nairobi (2017), Djibouti (2017), Kampala (2019), Mombasa (2019), and Munyonyo (2023) Declarations, as well as the 2023 Policy Framework on Refugee Protection. Implementation mechanisms—such as the IGAD Support Platform, the Free Movement of Persons Protocol, and the Climate Change Strategy—target sector-specific services or specific country contexts, including Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan. A notable high-impact example is the World Bank–funded Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP), which has reached over 5.8 million beneficiaries across East Africa. However, heavy reliance on external funding threatens long-term viability. Without establishing sustainable, regional self-financing mechanisms, these critical displacement initiatives risk falling short of their intended long-term objectives.
Abebaw Minaye is Associate Professor in Social Psychology and Chair of the Forced Displacement and Migration Studies Center at Addis Ababa University. He holds a PhD in Social Work and Social Development and has nearly three decades of experience teaching at postgraduate levels. The author of over 39 journal articles, his research focuses on human trafficking, migrant mental health, returnee experiences, and child protection. He has consulted on over 27 migration and child protection studies for international organizations, including IOM, ILO, UNICEF, EU, and IGAD.
Conflict, violence and climate related crisis
Conflict, violence, and climate-related crises shape distinct outcomes of mobility and immobility. Mobility encompasses planned relocation from uninhabitable areas, internal and cross-border migration, and forced displacement, whereas immobility affects populations unable to move due to compounding vulnerabilities. When on-site adaptation options are exhausted, movement often occurs under reactive, unsafe conditions that expose individuals to heightened protection risks. In these settings, mobility unfolds incrementally, beginning with local coping strategies before expanding into broader movement patterns. Forced displacement continually reshapes living conditions, amplified by pre-existing structural factors such as poverty, socioeconomic precarity, gender inequality, and service deficits. Research demonstrates that refugees, IDPs, and other migrants primarily secure protection, shelter, livelihoods, and belonging through personal networks. Ultimately, understanding displaced populations' needs and their local, translocal, and transnational ties is essential to designing sustainable solutions.
Amala Obiokoye-Nwalor is Project Manager and Head of Office at ICMPD Ghana. She has managed numerous migration initiatives, collaborating with government agencies on policy, strategic planning, and operational capacity building. Bringing over 16 years of professional experience across civil society, the private sector, and international development partners in West Africa, her work focuses on border management, security, and vulnerable migrant protection. Her academic interests center on negotiation and its application in peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
Semi-Plenary Session 3b — Rethinking Mobility and Skills Partnerships: Changing Global Landscape
This semi-plenary brings together policymakers, researchers, and civil society actors to critically examine the evolving nexus between mobility and skills partnerships, with a focus on African contexts. Building on insights from recent research the panel interrogates how skills are defined, valued, and governed across borders. The discussion will explore three interrelated themes: (1) how mobility systems, including Africa, shape and are shaped by global skill hierarchies; (2) the role of partnerships in enabling (or constraining) skill recognition, portability, and rights; (3) the implications of demographic change, digitalization, and AI for future mobility pathways. The session will foreground African agency and regional perspectives while engaging in comparative dialogue with Europe. It aims to move beyond instrumental policy approaches toward a more equitable and forward-looking framework for mobility and skills partnerships to 2050.
Session Chair
Izabela Grabowska is Full Professor of Social Sciences and Director of the CRASH Center for Research on Social Change and Human Mobility at Kozminski University, Poland. A sociologist and economist, she specializes in labor migration, human capital, career trajectories, and the impact of AI on migrant integration. She serves as Scientific Leader for the Horizon Europe Link4Skills project, which developed the Link4Skills Navigator to guide strategic policy decisions. Widely published in top migration and social policy journals, Professor Grabowska brings deep expertise in mobility, skill partnerships, and evolving global migration dynamics.
More at: www.izabelagrabowska.org
Speakers
Skills mobility from Africa to the OECD: recent trends and policy challenges
Highly skilled migration across OECD countries has increased significantly, with many African nations experiencing rising emigration rates among tertiary-educated workers, particularly women. Managing high-skilled migration must extend beyond addressing destination countries' labour shortages to embrace equity, sustainability, and shared responsibility. The health sector highlights this challenge: relying on internationally trained professionals helps alleviate shortages in destination countries, yet it deepens workforce gaps in nations with critical health needs. Strategic partnerships play a crucial role in balancing these dynamics, not only by facilitating mobility, but also by strengthening skills recognition, qualification portability, ethical recruitment, and workers' rights to ensure mutual benefits for both origin and destination countries. Drawing on recent OECD work, specifically the report International Migration of Health Professionals to OECD Countries, this presentation provides new empirical evidence focused on Africa and outlines actionable policy options.
Jean-Christophe Dumont has been the Head of the International Migration Division in the Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs at the OECD since 2011. He joined the OECD Secretariat in 2000 to work on international migration issues. He oversees the OECD’s annual flagship publication on migration, International Migration Outlook, as well as numerous publications on the economic impact of international migration, migration management, and the labor market integration of immigrants and their children in OECD countries. He has also worked on migration and development issues and the international mobility of health workers.
De-centering Migration Skill Corridors: Towards Fair and Reciprocal Mobility
Governance
This contribution examines Migration Skill Corridors (MSCs) within contemporary debates on de-centering migration governance and mobility studies. Conventional migration frameworks remain largely shaped by destination-country priorities and utilitarian views. Drawing on insights from the Link4Skills project, this presentation advocates for a de-centered perspective that situates MSCs within broader historical, transnational, and geopolitical dynamics, including post-colonial legacies and power asymmetries. By shifting focus away from viewing migration as a one-way transfer of labor, this approach re-frames mobility as a dynamic, relational process involving states, employers, educational institutions, recruitment agencies, diasporas, and migrants themselves. Ultimately, the presentation explores pathways toward establishing fairer, more reciprocal governance for skilled mobility.
Godfried Engbersen is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Erasmus University Rotterdam and an elected member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. A recognized authority on international migration, social policy, and urban inequality, his research focuses on liquid migration, transnationalism, and irregular migration. He has published extensively on European labor mobility, local welfare states, and social inclusion to shape contemporary academic and policy debates across Europe.
Migrant Gold? Competing for Talent in Post Migrant Societies
Across much of the Global North, migration debates face a central contradiction: demographic decline and labor shortages drive unprecedented demand for skilled workers, yet rising anti-immigrant sentiment and social polarization undermine national appeal. Drawing on the case of Germany—the world’s second-largest destination for international immigrants—this presentation argues that traditional frameworks (control, compassion, and economic contribution) fail to address this mismatch. Instead, countries must recognize a fourth dimension: global competition for human capital. Highly skilled, mobile individuals evaluate prospective destinations not only on wages, but also on political stability, social climate, and prospects for belonging. Anti-immigrant politics thus incur severe economic costs by undermining talent attraction and retention. Applying a post-migrant perspective, this contribution reframes migration from an exceptional phenomenon to a constitutive force shaping modern societies. Successful mobility and skill partnerships require shifting focus from merely recruiting talent to fostering inclusive environments rooted in democratic participation, equal belonging, and shared futures.
Naika Foroutan is Professor of Integration Research and Social Policy at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, where she serves as Director of the Berlin Institute for Empirical Integration and Migration Research (BIM). She is also Founding Board Member and Director of the German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM), a government-funded institute providing empirical analysis on migration while monitoring structural racism for the German federal government. A leading expert on post migrant societies, identity, and pluralism, Professor Foroutan routinely advises national and international institutions on integration and social cohesion.
Skills Mobility Partnerships: How Do African Models Compare Globally?
Labour migration and skills partnerships have become central pillars of the EU's external migration policy architecture, featuring prominently in recent cooperation frameworks with African countries. As both origin and destination states show growing interest in expanding legal pathways, this policy area is set to gain further strategic significance. This presentation shares findings from a mapping and comparative analysis of Skills Mobility Partnerships (SMPs) initiated since 2015 involving eight African countries—Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, Nigeria, and Senegal—with both EU and non-EU partners. Drawing on research from the Link4Skills project and the Africa-EU Migration and Mobility Dialogue Support Programme, it examines government-to-government partnerships combining skills development and mobility components. Findings are set against a wider global mapping of over 180 SMPs to identify regional and global trends across geographic coverage, training modalities, qualification recognition, and reintegration support, offering practical insights for existing and future African SMPs.
Maegan Hendow is a Senior Researcher at ICMPD with 15 years of experience leading multi-country migration research and authoring academic and policy publications. Her work focuses on irregular migration—including border management and migrant smuggling—and skilled labour mobility. Recently, she has analyzed large-scale EU databases, regularisation pathways, and EU Talent Partnerships. Spanning Europe, the SWANA region, and South Asia (particularly Pakistan), her research combines field-based methods with policy analysis to bridge empirical findings and evidence-based governance.
Plenary Session 4 — Free Movement, Labour Migration & Trade
Governments worldwide engage in a variety of treaties to regulate the movement of people, either restricting or facilitating mobility. This panel considers the different types of free movement regimes, distinguishing between free movement, visa liberalisation, and labour mobility schemes, and considering their potential to contribute to economic growth, trade, and transnational entrepreneurship. The panel also discusses the impact of enhanced mobility regimes on combatting irregular migration and enhancing a rights-based approach to migration governance.
Session Chair
Felicitas Hillmann is a professor in the Department of Work, Technology, and Participation at TU Berlin. With over 200 publications on international migration, her research focuses on labor market integration and migration governance. Her recent work highlights the "Bermuda triangle of migration governance," Germany's Triple Win program, recruitment agencies, and digitalization in worker recruitment. She also heads the NUPS network, a scholarly community of roughly 270 members established following her co-organization of the 2022 International Metropolis Conference in Berlin.
Defining and comparing free movement regimes globally: Lessons for Africa and beyond
Governments worldwide enter into treaties to regulate human mobility, either imposing restrictions or facilitating movement. However, treaties facilitating movement are rarely properly categorised, with scholars and policymakers often grouping them loosely under free movement. Supported in part by the Open Society Foundations, the Freemove project provides the first comprehensive global mapping and comparative analysis of bilateral and multilateral free movement regimes. The platform enables users to track regime evolution over the last 30 years, compare agreements, and evaluate trends impacting millions of mobile individuals. The platform is accessible at www.freemovehub.com.
Diego Acosta is a Professor of Migration Law at the University of Bristol in the UK and Director of the Global Chair on Migration and Human Rights at Nebrija University in Madrid. He has published over 80 academic works on international, European, and comparative migration law and serves as a consultant for governments and international organizations worldwide. A frequent speaker, he has presented in over 40 countries and been featured in major outlets such as The New York Times. Learn more on his website: www.diegoacosta.eu.
Free mobility and the African Union
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Mamudu Zanya Bugre is a Senior Advisor within the Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development at the African Union Commission (AUC). His work centers on migration governance, human rights, international law, and the protection of refugees, displaced persons, and mobile populations across Africa. In his advisory role, he contributes to regional policy development, humanitarian assistance frameworks, and strategic international engagements on social development and migration issues.
Sabelo Mbokazi is Head of the Labour, Employment and Migration Division at the African Union Commission. He brings extensive experience advising heads of state and ministers to drive the AU Migration Policy Framework and Agenda 2063. He has led key initiatives, including the Africa Climate Mobility Initiative, the Africa Migration Centres, and the AU strategy for the Social and Solidarity Economy. Previously with the SADC Parliamentary Forum and IOM, he co-chairs the AU-EU Migration Dialogue and leads the AU-EU-UN Tripartite Taskforce coordinating migrant repatriations from Libya.
Free movement, labour migration and trade: The experience of the common market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
This presentation examines how regional legal and policy frameworks governing the movement of persons, labor, and services enhance trade facilitation, market integration, and economic development within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). Analyzing instruments like Article 164 and key mobility protocols, it demonstrates that labor mobility is a critical enabler of trade and investment, whereas mobility restrictions act as non-tariff barriers. Addressing implementation hurdles—such as security concerns, legislative inconsistencies, and data gaps—the paper argues for positioning labor mobility as a strategic economic policy tool to foster deeper African integration and regional competitiveness.
Brian Chigawa is a senior official and legal expert within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). Having served as the Director of Legal and Institutional Affairs at the COMESA Secretariat, he has played a pivotal role in shaping regional governance, trade frameworks, and legal standards across member states.In addition to institutional governance, he serves as a Migration Advisor and advocate for regional integration within COMESA. His work focuses heavily on advancing intra-African labor mobility, facilitating the free movement of persons, and driving policy alignment to enhance economic transformation and cross-border trade.
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Ahmed Zanya Bugre is a Ghanaian-born naturalised Maltese migration law expert, human rights advocate, and community leader. In 2012, he was awarded the Medal for Service to the Republic of Malta. He leads the Foundation for Shelter and Support to Migrants (FSM) in Malta, which assists migrants and asylum seekers. He serves as a Senior Advisor on Migration for the African Union Commission (AUC) in Addis Ababa
Border management in Kenya
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Evelyn Cheluget is the Director General of Kenya’s Directorate of Immigration Services, having assumed office in May 2023 as the first woman to hold the position. A career officer with over 30 years of public service, her leadership roles include Director of Citizenship, Head of Border Management, and Immigration Attaché in Washington, D.C. She focuses on modernizing border security, digitalizing migration processes, and enhancing intra-African mobility. Her contributions to public administration and regional security have earned her numerous accolades, including Migration and Border Security Personality of the Year.
Plenary Session 5a — Migration as Development
Migration contributes to socioeconomic development at both origin and destination countries. For countries of origin, migration generates financial remittances which support households in communities of origin and increases business and investment networks through transnational trade. However, a key gap remains in channeling diaspora investments into countries of origin and fostering joint initiatives between origin states and diaspora business networks. For host nations, migration supplies vital talent and skills funded by educational investments in countries of origin, while simultaneously helping to offset demographic ageing. This panel aims at highlighting how migration contributes to development at both origin and destination and considers what could be innovative ways for making the most of migration as a lever for reciprocal growth.
Session Chair
Ambassador Amr Aljowaily is a seasoned career diplomat, international civil servant, and scholar with over 30 years of professional experience. He currently serves as Strategic Advisor to the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission and has previously held leadership roles including Director of Citizens and Diaspora Organizations at the AU and Ambassador of Egypt to Serbia. He holds graduate degrees from AUC, LSE, and the University of Malta, specializing in international relations, multilateral diplomacy, and regional governance.
The Role of Remittance in the Migration-Development Nexus Joseph Mensah
Perhaps no other aspect of the nexus between migration and development has engaged scholars, policymakers, and migrants more than "remittances"—the transfer of money, goods, and resources to origin households and communities. While early development analysts viewed remittances primarily as trivial consumption flows, recent theorizations frame them as a multifaceted system of resource transfer operating within broader transnational social fields. Whether driven by altruism, self-interest, or social pressure, these transfers inevitably generate socioeconomic and moral contradictions. Grounded in the dialectical recognition that a phenomenon is defined as much by what it excludes as by what it encompasses, this presentation highlights the hidden paradoxes of remittances to foster a more nuanced understanding of their true nature.
Joseph Mensah is an alumnus of the University of Ghana and Full Professor in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at York University, Toronto. He previously served as Chair of York's Geography Department and Associate Director of the Harriet Tubman Institute. His research spans migration, population geography, critical development theory, and quantitative methods. A widely published scholar, he has received major research grants from SSHRC, IDRC, the Gates Foundation, ILO, and GDN. More info: www.yorku.ca/jmensah
Inter-connected drivers of internal migration in the context of climate change
This paper examines the interconnected drivers of rural–urban internal migration in Bangladesh under climate change using the MEMO analytical framework. It conceptualizes migration as a dynamic process shaped by interacting macro, meso, and micro-level forces. Drawing on qualitative data from three informal settlements in Dhaka—including 50 migrant interviews, 13 life histories, focus groups, and key informant interviews—the study explores how economic, environmental, social, and political drivers interact. Findings show that climate impacts like floods, cyclones, and riverbank erosion interact with livelihood insecurity, political conditions, and social networks. Migration decisions emerge through four mechanisms: competing, co-existing, co-occurring, and evolving drivers. Structural constraints, personal aspirations, and social ties shape these non-linear, evolving pathways. Ultimately, understanding mobility requires a multi-scalar perspective beyond single-cause explanations.
Tasneem Siddiqui is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Dhaka and Acting Executive Director of the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU). Her research covers climate adaptation, labour migration, and migrant-inclusive urban governance. She led the drafting of Bangladesh's National Strategy for Internal Displacement (2021) and the Overseas Employment Policy (2006). Additionally, she serves on the editorial board of Migration Studies and the Advisory Committee of the Platform on Disaster Displacement
Migration and Development Under Constraint: Unlocking the Full Potential of Social and Financial Remittances for Inclusive Growth
While migration has strong potential to drive long-term, inclusive development, its transformative impact is often constrained—not by a lack of mobility—but by structural and policy bottlenecks. This presentation shifts the narrative from "migration as opportunity" to "migration under constraint," highlighting what limits its development returns and how these barriers can be addressed. Specifically, it examines how elevated transaction costs, limited financial infrastructure, underdeveloped diaspora engagement mechanisms, and poorly regulated migration channels reduce the developmental impact of social and financial remittances.
Bilesha Weeraratne is a Research Fellow and Head of Migration and Urbanisation Policy Research at the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS). A former Postdoctoral Research Associate at Princeton University, her research focuses on migration, climate mobility, urbanisation, labour economics, and econometrics. She has consulted for international organizations, including the IOM, ILO, World Bank, and ADB, and publishes widely in peer-reviewed journals. She holds a BA from the University of Colombo, an MA from Rutgers, and a PhD in Economics from CUNY.
Migrant care workers in Germany’s health sector: Individual and structural challenges and strategies
Recruiting migrants from abroad has emerged as a solution for shortages of care workers in many European countries, including Germany. Based on specific visa regulations, people from Third Countries with qualifications obtained abroad as well as young people becoming enrolled in vocational training enter the German healthcare sector. This study, combining qualitative data from two projects funded by the EU Horizon 2020 Programme and a non-profit organization, investigated the recruitment, onboarding, and retention dynamics of migrant labour in nursing, elderly, and ambulatory care.
Anne Güller-Frey has been coordinating the “Integration through Qualification” (IQ) network and its international activities since 2005. For many years, she has been participating in and managing EU and International Programs including EQUAL, INTI, ESF and Horizon. She is a member of the Expert-Council on Integration of the Bavarian Government, with prior work experience in the Enquete Commission on Integration of the Bavarian Parliament. One of her professional interests is Intercultural Competence Development and Diversity, and she holds the degree of Intercultural Trainer and Consultant.
Plenary Session 5b — Migration Governance in an Uncertain World
The world faces an increasingly uncertain future, marked by escalating conflicts, extreme weather events and environmental degradation. Meanwhile, AI technologies are proliferating rapidly, leaving regulatory systems struggling to keep pace. The recent pandemic has exposed the fragility of migration governance regimes and their inability to cope with crisis. This panel explores what resilient and sustainable governance looks like, which key stakeholders must be mobilised and how to build these governance systems regionally and globally.
Session Chair
Anna Triandafyllidou is a Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) Laureate in Migration and Integration at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). She serves as Scientific Director of the Bridging Divides research program and Founding Scientific Director of the Global Migration Institute. Previously holding the Robert Schuman Chair at the European University Institute in Florence, her interdisciplinary research spans migration governance, asylum, nationalism, and diversity. She has led over 30 international projects, published more than 180 articles, and holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Liège.
African Migration Governance in an Uncertain World: Agency, externalisation, and the politics of regional mobility
Contemporary migration governance is characterized by an intensifying tension between regional integration aspirations and the securitized imperatives of internal and external actors. This tension is acutely felt in Africa, where longstanding cultures of mobility—institutionalized through instruments like the ECOWAS Free Movement Protocols—face domestic restrictions and EU migration externalization. Analyzing academic and policy literature, this paper argues that African migration governance is a contested field intersecting mobility, sovereignty, development, and security. It foregrounds African agency, examining how states, civil society, and regional bodies navigate external pressures amid geopolitical instability, such as Sahelian security fragmentation. The paper advocates for a recalibrated approach grounded in African agency, institutional coherence, and structural links between labor mobility and continental integration under the AfCFTA and AU Free Movement Protocol, recognizing uncertainty as a permanent condition.
Amanda Bisong is a policy analyst and researcher specializing in migration governance, labor mobility, remittances, trade facilitation, and trade-migration linkages in Africa. She earned her PhD in International Law with cum laude distinction from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. With over 15 years of experience in international law, development, and trade, she has advised political representatives across national, regional, and continental levels in Africa. Additionally, she liaises with the European Union Commission and actively engages in policy discussions in Brussels.
Emergencies as a Trigger for Change in Urban Migration Governance?
Contemporary migration governance operates under frequent uncertainty driven by humanitarian crises, large-scale displacement, armed conflicts, and pandemics. Rather than viewing emergencies merely as temporary disruptions requiring exceptional responses, this presentation conceptualizes them as catalysts for long-term governance transformation. Drawing on scholarship in multilevel governance, local-turn migration studies, emergency governance, and urban resilience, it argues that emergencies serve as stress tests revealing how actors interact under urgency and resource constraints. Particular focus is placed on cities as frontline actors that innovate and expand capacities despite limited formal competencies. It explores how temporary emergency measures—such as cross-sectoral partnerships and institutional learning—can become routinized into permanent arrangements. Grounded in recent case studies, including the post-2022 Ukrainian displacement, the presentation informs both academic debate and practical urban governance in uncertain environments.
Marta Pachocka is an economist, political scientist, and Assistant Professor at SGH Warsaw School of Economics. At SGH, she coordinates the CIVICA Research Hub TRANSCONNECT. She also co-coordinates the Laboratory of Urban and Regional Migration Policies and the Humanitarian Observatory for CEE at the University of Warsaw. Co-editor of Palgrave Macmillan's Mobility & Politics series, she holds leadership roles in PECSA, IPSA, and the Metropolis International Migration Network. Her research focuses on multilevel migration governance, integration, and asylum policies across multiple EU and Polish projects.
Why does immigration divide democratic societies, and is there anything we can do about it?
Immigration issues are rising to the fore in democratic societies globally. This trend reflects expanded mobility through globalized communication and transport networks, demographic aging across high-income countries, and widening social inequalities driven by unequal access to knowledge. To understand why immigration has become so divisive, nation-states can be analyzed as "membership societies," where unique patterns of state formation shape citizenship and member admission—as Rogers Brubaker conceptualized over three decades ago. Examining these institutional patterns clarifies how destination-country citizens react to immigration, aiding the design of policies that prevent societal polarization. Furthermore, public polling across major host nations adds empirical nuance, enabling better alignment between public concerns and effective global mobility management.
Andrew Selee has served as President of the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) since 2017 and teaches global migration at Georgetown University. He previously founded the U.S.-Mexico relations program and served as Executive Vice President at the Woodrow Wilson Center. His background includes work with migrant youth in Tijuana and staff roles in the U.S. Congress. He holds a PhD from the University of Maryland and authored On the Move: Migration Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean (Stanford University Press, 2025).
Asia’s migration regime: New dynamics, new uncertainties
Among Asian developmental migration states, migration management has long prioritized economic development, social stability, and national security over democracy and equality. In these regimes, migrants' rights and permanent settlement are calibrated according to their utility toward national development goals, producing differentiated rights and limited social protection. Recently, plummeting fertility rates and rapid aging have caused escalating labor shortages in advanced Asian economies. Under demographic pressure, states are adjusting policies to meet employer demand while retaining control, selectively opening restrictive regimes and diversifying recruitment sources. However, as demographic imperatives create expanded migration pathways, questions remain whether these policy shifts will increase bargaining power for source countries and migrants, and whether host states are prepared to foster inclusive, multicultural co-existence.
Brenda Yeoh is a Distinguished Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS). A social geographer focusing on Asian migration and transnationalism, she was awarded the Vautrin Lud Prize in 2021 and elected Fellow of the British Academy in 2022. She received the NUS University Research Recognition Award in 2024 and an honorary doctorate from Lund University in 2026. Her research covers care migration, skilled mobility, cosmopolitanism, and marriage migration.
Digital technologies across migration journeys: governance and regulatory challenges
Advanced digital technologies are ubiquitous throughout human migration journeys. Social media and algorithms render prospective destinations visible, shaping aspirations to move, while automation-driven labour market disruptions create further migration incentives. Visa and immigration procedures increasingly occur remotely and online. In transit, digital surveillance, data-sharing protocols, and algorithmic screening both enable and constrain mobility. Upon settlement, migrants often become hyper-dependent on digital platforms to access public services, sustain social ties, and secure employment—or fall victim to digital exclusion. This presentation explores the governance and regulatory challenges confronting governments and stakeholders seeking to harness or constrain these technologies.
Mireille Paquet is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at Concordia University, where she holds the University Research Chair on the Politics of Immigration. As Director of Concordia’s Institute for Research on Migration and Society (IRMS), she leads research projects under the CFREF-funded Bridging Divides program. She also co-directs the Quebec Research Network on Immigration, Integration and Intercultural Relations (RQ3I). Her research examines comparative immigration politics, bureaucratic policy development, public attitudes, and technology in migration governance.
Plenary 6 — Roundtable: Migration and Health
Migration and health are closely intertwined. On the one hand, migrants are healthier than the average population at destination. On the other, they face significant mental and physical health stressors and reduced access to health systems. There is still limited understanding of the intersectional factors that affect migrants’ health and their access to health systems. This panel brings experts from around the world to discuss the migration and health nexus and propose relevant initiatives that can address health vulnerabilities and improve migrants’ access to healthcare in Africa and other world regions.
Session Chair
Peter Mudungwe is a Migration Adviser at the African Union Commission and an international development expert with over 10 years of experience in African migration and development. From 2004 to 2014, he managed projects for the International Organization for Migration and the ACP Migration Facility. He has authored papers and undertaken commissioned research for the European Commission, IOM, and African Diaspora Policy Centre. He holds an honors degree in Economics from the University of Zimbabwe and a Master's from the University of Manchester.
Navigating new shores: Mental health, lived experiences, and the healing power of community in the African and Caribbean diaspora
This plenary paper explores the complex intersection of migration, mental health, and community resilience among the Pan-African and Caribbean diaspora in Australia. Moving beyond Western-centric frameworks, it examines the psychological toll of displacement driven by unrecognized qualifications, workplace miscommunication, and systemic marginalization. Drawing on qualitative narratives and empirical data from the My Career, My Calling podcast, the paper highlights the lived realities of settlement stress and its somatic manifestations, including the gut-brain connection. Ultimately, it demonstrates how the diaspora actively combats isolation through community-led solutions. By embracing Ubuntu, volunteerism, youth mentorship, and cultural preservation, communities reclaim identity and well-being. The paper advocates for migration governance that prioritizes culturally responsive mental health support and community-led healing.
Stephanie Fletcher-Lartey is an award-winning public health epidemiologist, life coach, and community advocate with over 29 years of global experience. Originally from Jamaica, she holds a PhD from the University of Technology Sydney. She is a Senior Research and Evaluation Officer with NSW Health and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Sydney. Committed to empowering the Pan-African and Caribbean diaspora, she serves as President of the Jamaican Association of Australia and Council Member for the Australian Ghanaian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Dwelling on the fringes; African Australians – navigating our place and our role through
colonial structures shaping health in community
This paper explores the history of African migration to Australia, drawing on over 30 years of community observation and engagement. It examines the role and positioning of African migrants and refugees, analyzing how racialized bodies navigate social, occupational, and institutional spaces. Situating African Australian experiences within Australia's colonial and racialized histories, the study evaluates how individuals negotiate belonging, visibility, and exclusion. The paper also incorporates lived experience leading Australia's response to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), highlighting how colonial narratives weaponized this issue during an era when racism was largely absent from public discourse. Finally, it reflects on second-generation African Australians developing strategies to assert agency and claim their place in society.
Juliana Nkrumah AM is the Head of Women & Gender Equity at Settlement Services International (SSI) and recipient of the 2023 Australian Human Rights Medal. A gender, social justice, and human rights professional, she holds a Master's degree in Sociology and Social Anthropology. Her 30-year career spans civil society organization activism across national, regional, and global levels. She is dedicated to empowering refugee and migrant women, amplifying their voices, and serving as an accomplished public speaker, trainer, and facilitator.
What right to healthcare? Advocating for migrants’ health in an era of xenophobia
With the 2nd High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response held in September 2026, global health remains a priority. Migrant health has been foregrounded through commitments such as the Rabat Declaration (2023) and the Global Compact for Migration, alongside endorsements by major refugee-hosting states during COVID-19. However, this multilateral progress conflicts with declining funding and political support for migrant service access globally. This presentation highlights the contradictory effects of siloing healthcare within migration policy. Amid rising xenophobia and hostile policies toward irregular migrants, efforts toward global health resilience ultimately become meaningless when grounded in an implicit hierarchy of deservingness.
Elana Wong is the Coordinator of the Civil Society Action Committee and the Global Forum for Migration and Development Civil Society Mechanism, global networks for civil society advocacy housed by the International Catholic Migration Commission. She also serves on the Board of the Migration Youth & Children Platform, where she was Co-Director from 2021 to 2023.
Safeguarding the health of migrants: Breaking barriers and borders for better care
Global human mobility makes migrant health a critical public health priority, directly intersecting with Sustainable Development Goal 3. Under Act 857, Ghana’s Nursing and Midwifery Council (N&MC) regulates care quality and public safety. However, the "healthy migrant effect" often masks severe post-migration physical and mental health challenges, while systemic discrimination further restricts healthcare access. Addressing these issues requires regulatory reform, pre-service curriculum updates, and expanding the legal scope of practice to equip nurses with cross-cultural and linguistic competencies. Leveraging N&MC authority under Act 857 enables competent, rights-based healthcare delivery across Ghana’s decentralized healthcare system.
Judith Christian is a Ghanaian nurse, healthcare administrator, and regulator serving as Head of Client Services at the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana. She oversees professional verification for overseas-bound nurses and registration for foreign-trained practitioners. Her career spans clinical care, administration, and governance, including developing national licensing curricula, Continuing Professional Development frameworks, and training policies. Holding master's degrees in Public Health and Educational Management, she is a Foundation Fellow of the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives.
Closing Ceremony
Mary Boatemaa Setrana is Associate Professor of Migration and Social Change and Director of the Centre for Migration Studies at the University of Ghana. She also holds the IDRC Research Chair on Forced Displacement in Anglophone West Africa. Mary served as the lead facilitator for Botswana’s National Migration Policy and previously worked as a consultant for national migration policies in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. A scientific committee member of CODESRIA, she has led international research projects supported by the European Union, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Joseph Awetori Yaro, Provost, College of Humanities, University of Ghana
Professor Joseph Awetori Yaro is the Provost of the College of Humanities at the University of Ghana. A specialist in project and applied management, his expertise spans strategy, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and human resource management across academia, public policy, and corporate sectors. He previously served as Acting Director of Academic Quality Assurance, Coordinator of PhD Programs, and Head of Department. An experienced researcher and consultant, he has led key projects for international organizations, government ministries, and global corporations while publishing extensively in peer-reviewed business journals.