Page 28 - University of Pretoria Research Review 2017

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Migration in sub-Saharan Africa
Bruno Losch and Sara Mercandalli, Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation and the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development
Migration from Africa has generated interest due to the reported numbers of migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean Sea into Europe. Yet in Africa most migration takes place within the continent and between African countries, particularly within sub- Saharan Africa.
The Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation (GovInn), in a collaboration with Dr Bruno Losch and
Dr Sara Mercandalli (French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development, CIRAD), have edited a 2017 volume on rural migration that takes place within sub-Saharan Africa. The Atlas, Rural Africa in Motion: Dynamics and drivers of migration south of the Sahara*, examines the patterns, the consequences and the impetus for migration that occurs within the continent.
Working in conjunction with the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and engaging research partners in Senegal, Zambia, South Africa, and Madagascar, the authors unpack the variables affecting data collection on migration within sub-Saharan Africa and the complexity in understanding the underlying
causes and motivations for migration. The Altas includes contributions from three other GovInn researchers:
Dr Robin Bourgeois, Dr Christopher Nshimbi, and PhD student Pierre Girard, all based at UP.
While much focus has been on the migrants leaving
the continent, within-Africa migration patterns and motivations are far more difficult to measure due to the informality and diversity of movements. For instance, migration can take place within a single country with people moving between regions, or between the rural and urban spaces. The Atlas reports that up to 75%
of sub-Saharan African migrants are migrating within Africa, with the average age of migrants being 29 years. This reflects the growing African population and the ‘youth bulge’, which has resulted in a large youthful labour force, putting pressure on local economies and encouraging migration as people search for income and employment opportunities.
Those migrants moving within rural areas continue
to engage with rural activities, such as farming and mining, which in turn puts pressure on land and water resources already under threat. Natural environmental
degradation and climate change have had a significant effect on rural activities and in influencing migration. The Atlas shows that these factors rarely act
in isolation, but combine with social, political and economic factors.
The future of migration in sub-Saharan Africa is similarly complex. The Atlas demonstrates the need for context- appropriate policies to facilitate the free movement of people in search of economic opportunities, and points
to the need for governments to invest in rural and urban development (particularly small towns) to anticipate the growing movement of people.
* Mercandalli, S and Losch, B (eds.) 2017. Rural Africa in motion. Dynamics and drivers of migration South of the Sahara. Rome, FAO and CIRAD.