Addis Ababa · March 2024 — The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the African Union Commission (AUC) released the second edition of the Africa Migration Report in March 2024, titled Connecting the Threads: Linking Policy, Practice and the Welfare of the African Migrant. The report provides the most comprehensive assessment to date of migration patterns across the African continent — and its central finding overturns a pervasive misconception.
Despite the dominant media narrative that frames African migration as a phenomenon primarily directed toward Europe, the report confirms that the overwhelming majority of African migration takes place within the continent. As of 2024, approximately 25 million Africans were living in another African country — a 17% increase from 2020 — compared to far smaller numbers migrating to destinations outside Africa.
Reframing the Migration Narrative
The report's most significant contribution is its systematic dismantling of the "Africa-to-Europe" migration narrative that has dominated policy discourse in both African and European capitals. By presenting comprehensive data on migration stocks and flows, the report demonstrates that intra-continental movement — driven by economic opportunity, labour mobility, conflict, and climate shocks — is the defining feature of African migration.
This finding has profound policy implications. If the dominant pattern is intra-continental movement, then migration governance frameworks should prioritise regional integration, free movement protocols, and the protection of migrants within Africa — rather than focusing disproportionately on border externalisation and irregular migration to Europe.
Drivers of Movement
The report identifies a complex interplay of factors driving migration within and from Africa:
| Driver | Description | Geographic Concentration |
|---|---|---|
| Economic opportunity | Search for employment and higher wages | Continent-wide |
| Conflict and violence | Armed conflict driving displacement | Sahel, Horn of Africa, Central Africa |
| Climate shocks | Drought, flooding, environmental degradation | Horn of Africa, Southern Africa |
| Demographic pressure | Youth comprising over 60% of population | Continent-wide |
| Labour migration | Seasonal and circular labour flows | West Africa, Southern Africa |
With youth comprising over 60% of the continent's population, demographic pressure is a significant structural factor in both intra-continental movement and outward migration. Africa's youthful population — the largest in the world — creates natural pressure for mobility as young people seek economic opportunities beyond their immediate communities.
The Eastern Route: A Growing Corridor
The IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) provides granular, route-specific data that complements the broader analysis of the Africa Migration Report. One of the most closely monitored corridors is the "Eastern Route" — the migration pathway from the Horn of Africa to the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states.
Data for 2025 showed that tracked outgoing movements on the Eastern Route increased by approximately 18% compared to 2024, rising from 430,200 to 506,600. This corridor is characterised by:
- Large numbers of Ethiopian and Somali migrants seeking economic opportunities in the Gulf
- Significant protection risks, including trafficking, exploitation, and abuse
- Increasing forced returns, impacting children and vulnerable populations
- The use of new, remote routes by smugglers and migrants to circumvent border checkpoints
The report highlights that return migration — both forced and spontaneous — has increased along this route, creating reintegration challenges for countries of origin that often lack the resources to support returning migrants adequately.
Policy and Integration: The AU Agenda
The second edition focuses on "connecting the threads" between policy, practice, and migrant welfare, aiming to support the African Union's Agenda 2063 — the continent's strategic framework for socio-economic transformation. A key component of this agenda is the goal of fostering regional integration through the free movement of persons.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which entered into force in 2021, includes provisions for the free movement of people alongside goods and services. The report argues that effective implementation of these provisions would:
- Facilitate legal labour migration within Africa
- Reduce the risks associated with irregular migration
- Enhance the economic contribution of migrants to both origin and destination countries
- Strengthen regional economic integration
The Welfare of the Migrant
A distinctive feature of this second edition is its explicit focus on migrant welfare — moving beyond migration statistics to examine the lived experiences of African migrants. The report documents:
- Xenophobic violence against migrants in several destination countries within Africa
- Exploitation of migrant workers in both formal and informal sectors
- Access barriers to basic services such as healthcare and education for migrant families
- Family separation as a consequence of circular and long-distance migration patterns
- Child protection concerns, particularly for unaccompanied minors and children of migrants
The report argues that improving migrant welfare requires not only legal protections but also practical measures such as portable social protection benefits, recognition of qualifications across borders, and anti-discrimination programmes in destination communities.
Climate and Mobility
The report highlights climate shocks as an increasingly significant driver of displacement in sub-Saharan Africa. Droughts in the Horn of Africa, flooding in West and Central Africa, and environmental degradation in the Sahel are forcing communities to move — often across international borders within the continent.
Unlike conflict-driven displacement, climate-related mobility is often gradual and difficult to categorise under existing legal frameworks. The report calls for the development of specific policies and protections for climate-displaced persons, noting that existing international refugee conventions do not adequately cover this growing category of migrants.
A Continental Challenge
The Africa Migration Report's overarching message is that migration is a structural feature of African development — not an anomaly to be stopped. With the continent's population projected to double by 2050, migration will only intensify. The policy challenge is not to prevent movement but to govern it in ways that maximise development benefits for origin and destination communities while protecting the rights and welfare of migrants themselves.
The report's call to "connect the threads" between policy, practice, and welfare is ultimately a call for coherence — ensuring that migration governance frameworks are evidence-based, rights-centred, and aligned with the broader development agenda of the African Union.
Sources:
- IOM/AUC, Africa Migration Report, Second Edition: Connecting the Threads (2024):
- ReliefWeb, report summary:
- IOM World Migration Report, Africa chapter:
- IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix:
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Institutional Research Desk · Foresight Institute of Research and Translation
The collective editorial and research translation board of FIRAT, synthesising peer-reviewed evidence, policy briefs, and division milestones across our seven foundational research pillars.
