By Mazhun Idris
Like many popular narratives about Africa driven by sentiment that tends to defy sensitivity to facts, news about migration from the continent usually comes couched in stereotypes and half-truths.
The staple image is of a stream of African migrants in perpetual exodus from their countries — bereft of economic opportunities— on a risky journey fuelled by the promise of a better future in the so-called developed world.
Somewhere between this drivel and humankind's ceaseless search for greener pastures lies the reality of Africa.
Even within the resource-rich continent, at each time of the year, small groups of low-skilled workers move across national borders, seeking refuge in better wages, sustainable opportunities, and prosperity.
"The nature of African internal migration is majorly rural to urban flow, with the rural poor escaping to relatively richer countries or cities," Dr Muhammad Baba Bello, an agricultural economist at Bayero University in Nigeria's Kano, tells TRT Afrika.
Likewise, official migration data from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) shows that labour migration in Africa "is largely intra-regional (80%)".
Tunisia transit
Adnen Ben Hadj Yahia runs a social innovation hub known as El Space in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia that serves as a springboard for many Europe-bound migrants from North Africa.
As someone who sees himself and his organisation as change drivers, one of the more fascinating aspects of his journey is watching how migrants who land up in Tunis often end up staying back.
"Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa come to Tunis, Sfax, and Gabes en route to Europe. But some, especially women, soon realise they could work and save money here; thus, they decide to stay and build some capital before they go back home," he says.
“In our hub, we train migrants on self-sustaining business skills in case they decide not to undertake the risky journey to Europe. We then help them find small jobs with fair wages."
Hordes of Tunisian youth also come to the big cities from the interiors to study in the universities there and potentially move abroad. Most end up finding decent jobs in these cities and staying back.
Labour mobility
The level of labour mobility between African markets provides significant consolidation of sub-regional integration. These intraregional migration corridors cut across regional economic blocs, led by regional giants.
"Within the same country, rural-to-urban migration sustains the supply of labour force to industrial complexes and trading centres in cities and towns," says Dr Muhammad.
According to the ILO, only a few African countries don't participate in this migration flow, either as countries of origin, transit, or destination.
"Demand in economic sectors such as agriculture, fishing, mining and construction as well as services such as domestic work, healthcare, cleaning, restaurants and hotels, and retail trade are significant drivers within the continent," states the ILO migration report.
From South Africa to Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt, mega cities and big towns essentially outsource cheap and menial labour from faraway villages, feeding on excess supply and limited economic opportunities associated with rural enclaves.
Annually, regional economic giants like Nigeria attract wage-seeking labour from its financially poorer neighbouring countries such as Niger, Benin, Chad, Cameroon, Togo.
Climate factor
Like everything else that entails change, migration has push and pull factors. In the case of Africa, the push factors are mostly present within poor agrarian communities, whilst the pull factors are visible in urban centres.
Climate change and violent conflicts in several African nations also influence internal migration. Apart from labour migration, there is population displacement due to wars, drought, famine, and floods.
Unlike in the 1990s, when Africa was at the heart of an international refugee crisis, internally displaced people now live mostly within the borders of their natal countries, including Sudan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic.
Externalities of migration
Economists aside, on the trail of migration economics are geographers who analyse the impact of mass migration and its economic implications on the environment, population distribution, and resource utilisation.
Dr Murtala Uba Mohamed, who teaches population geography and economic policy at Bayero University Kano, explains how migration impacts population growth rate, fertility and mortality rate of communities.
"In many ways than one, migration within Africa has a socio-economic impact not only in terms of driving economic growth and diversity, but also conflicts and crimes."
Land and manpower loss
Data from the STATAFRIC Migration Database shows that in 2019, 77 per cent of international migration from Africa occurred among people of working age.
In rural areas, migration of working-age people is a major cause of de-agrarianisation as the rural labour force chases livelihood in cities where land grabbing has converted arable land into urban jungles.
With the bulk of the labour force having already relocated to cities, rural communities become vulnerable to decreased food production and, thereby, rural poverty.
Although many migrants send remittances to families back home, the concentration of economic activities in cities and coastal areas ensures that poverty dominates the rural belt.
Pressure on infrastructure
The influx of migrants from rural areas is a drain on urban resources as clustering of settlers and overstaying visitors exacerbate the pressure on limited infrastructure.
According to Dr Mohammed, overgrowing cities are also prone to excessive land price, which in turn affects poor migrants as they can't afford decent accommodation in a high-rent environment.
"There is hardly a major city in Africa without slums and shanty towns lurking in its neighbourhood. Lagos has Makoko, Nairobi has Kibera, and Johannesburg has Soweto," he points out.
Coupled with rampant gentrification, informal settlements proliferate into unplanned towns, so much so that some experts believe migration and urbanisation are inseparable.
A vicious cycle
Tunisian enterprise trainer Adnen Nino believes the rise of service industries in cities is at the detriment of rural agriculture. "This agricultural labour displacement feed is what feeds the tourism industry," he says.
Dr Mohamed is convinced that the best solution to the problem of internal migration in the continent is for African states and cities to track migration data, and make effective use of it for the purpose of economic planning, population management, and land administration.
He advocates that governments plan ahead for equitable resource allocation, pro-poor urban planning, affordable housing, regional development, equal opportunities, and economic palliatives for rural households.
Till that happens, migration — be it internal or to foreign shores — will remain a zero-sum game both for the country and its citizens.
