AfDB partners with IOM to strengthen Africa’s migration

The African Development Bank and the International Organisation for Migration have announced their collaboration to strengthen Africa’s migration development.

According to a statement, African Development Bank Group Senior Vice President, Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, met with the Director-General of the International Organisation for Migration, Amy Pope, to discuss closer collaboration between the two organisations on migration and development across Africa.

The meeting, held at the Bank Group’s headquarters recently in Abidjan, featured exploratory talks on the possibility of a formal partnership building on earlier successful collaborations, including joint production of a 2023 report on migration and development in Africa.

In addition to the Senior Vice President, the African Development Bank Group was represented by Catherine Baumont-Keita, Director, Office of the Senior Vice President and Management Operations; Director and Special Advisor in the Office of the President, Gauthier Bourlard, Oscar Pitti Rivera, Lead Operations Advisor; and other staff members.

The Bank lauded its relationship with the United Nations agency.

“We already have a rich and productive relationship with IOM,” she said.

“As we discuss a potential formal agreement, we aim to be more targeted and concrete in our approach, fully using our combined strengths to show that well-managed migration can benefit everyone involved,” Akin-Olugbade added.

“Our goal in working more closely with the African Development Bank is to move beyond just responding to migration. We want to work together to ensure people can move safely and with dignity, allowing them to be part of their development solution and their country’s progress,” Pope said.

Regional Director Lopez-Ekra said that the potential for closer collaboration comes as African countries face growing impacts from climate change and fast-increasing youth populations, both of which are likely to shape migration trends. Migration along the Atlantic route, for instance, has increased by 150 per cent over the past few years, said Regional Director Lopez-Ekra.

Lopez-Ekra added that combining IOM’s expertise in migration with the Bank Group’s ability to mobilise financing and resources would position the financial institution to tackle these interlinked challenges more effectively.

“We finance many projects in infrastructure and regional integration. IOM’s perspective helps us create projects that achieve even more than they would without this collaboration,” Akin-Olugbade mentioned.

He also stated that the discussions also touched on the need to factor in climate change as a key driver of migration when planning projects. The two leaders also addressed the benefits and drawbacks associated with the migration of skilled workers in search of opportunity.

There was consensus between Senior Vice President Akin-Olugbade and Director-General Pope that closer collaboration should centre on the sharing of knowledge and data, conducting joint policy research, and designing projects that address the root causes of migration, particularly climate change and inadequate job creation.