African migration: trends, patterns, drivers

Abstract

Africa is often seen as a continent of mass migration and displacement caused by poverty, violent conflict and environmental stress. Yet such perceptions are based on stereotypes rather than theoretically informed empirical research. Drawing on the migration and visa databases from the Determinants of International Migration (DEMIG project) and the Global Bilateral Migration Database (GBMD), this paper explores the evolution and drivers of migration within, towards and from Africa in the post-colonial period. Contradicting common ideas of Africa as a 'continent on the move', the analysis shows that intra-African migration intensities have gone down. This may be related to state formation and the related imposition of barriers towards free movement in the wake of decolonisation as well as the concomitant rise of nationalism and inter-state tensions. While African migration remains overwhelmingly intra-continental, since the late 1980s there has been an acceleration and spatial diversification (beyond colonial patterns) of emigration out of Africa to Europe, North America, the Gulf and Asia. This diversification of African emigration seems partly driven by the introduction of visa and other immigration restrictions by European states. Contradicting conventional interpretations of African migration being essentially driven by poverty, violence and underdevelopment, increasing migration out of Africa seems rather to be driven by processes of development and social transformation which have increased Africans' capabilities and aspirations to migrate, a trend which is likely to continue in the future.

Peeling an onion: the “refugee crisis” from a historical perspective

“…Moving requires money, contacts and some guarantee that their risky adventure is viable. While thousands of young men (in any case more than women) may believe that European streets are paved with gold and want desperately to board a boat in Libya or Morocco, they are a very small minority (Flahaux and de Haas 2016). Moreover, as recent research on Sub-Sahara migrants to Libya shows, 80 per cent of them have no intention whatsoever to go to Europe and are circulatory labour migrants looking for job in North Africa (Molenaar and El Kamouni-Janssen 2017).…”

Economic Links between Education and Migration: An Overview

“…For those leaving Africa, relevant destinations besides Europe are the Gulf States and the Americas (see Flahaux -de Haas, 2016, and the literature quoted there).…”

A Comparative Analysis on the Social Wellbeing of Adolescents with Parents in the Diaspora and those with Parents in the Home Country. A Case Study of Adolescents at Nemakonde High School: Mashonaland West Region, Zimbabwe

“…Out migration is considered voluntary or involuntary on the parent"s side. According to Flahaux and De Haas (2016) the African continent is regarded to be with the most mobile populaces in the world, it is stereotyped to be a continent on the move. Out-migration is also prominent in the Caribbean islands of America in countries like Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica among other countries.…”