Study on Migration and Development in Africa

The study, entitled “Challenges and priorities of the Public Administrations of Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Morocco and Senegal with regard to migration and development”, carried out within the framework of the MeDAO project, puts forward a series of recommendations and guidelines to support the considerable impact of migrants in their countries of origin.

The coordinator of MeDAO, Marzia Cardinali, explained that the main objective of the programme is to strengthen the links between migration and development. According to the study, just 20 per cent of the world’s population has adequate social protection and “this is a basic right which varies in proportion to the development of each country”. Therefore, the lack of social protection affects the majority of South-South migrants.

The general conclusion of the study indicates that Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Morocco and Senegal should take action in both helping in the processes of integration of their respective diasporas in the destination countries and in mobilising them for the development of the country of origin.

Also present at the event were the ambassadors of Cape Verde, Ivory Coast and Senegal and a representative from the Moroccan embassy. Representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation were José Manuel Albares, Deputy Director-General for Sub-Saharan Africa, and Diego Nuño, Deputy Director-General for Migratory Affairs. The event, held at Casa Arabe, was opened by the director of the FIIAPP, Javier Quintana and was closed by the researcher Gonzalo Fanjul.

Migrants as a driver of development in their countries of origin

The World Bank reports that the remittances received from emigrants by developing countries were 325 billion dollars in 2010, which greatly exceeds the volume of flows of Official Development Aid and represents over 10% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in many developing countries. Again according to the data of the World Bank, migration and remittances reduce poverty in the countries of origin and generate greater investments in health care, education and entrepreneurship through the creation of small businesses.

Migrants are therefore a source of value, trade and investments, as well as knowledge and technology transfer. Without a doubt, international migrants are a powerful engine driving development in the countries of origin, hence the need to have public policies which make it possible to maximise the positive impact of migration.

This is the context in which the MeDAO project is being developed, led by the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Public Administration and Policies (FIIAPP) and co-funded by the European Union and the Spanish International Development Cooperation Agency (AECID), whose objective is to strengthen the capacities of the public administrations of Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Morocco and Senegal with regard to remittances, links with the diaspora, as well as social protection and employment.