Territorial
conflicts and people in Africa: migration
Migration in Africa no matter its
cause has an important impact on population dynamics (African Union, 2010).
Data from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs shows
that migrants from Africa are younger (on average at 29 years) compared to
migrants from other regions of the world; they are younger by an average of 10
years compared to the global average of 39 years.
Africa as a whole currently suffers
a net loss in its population due to migration. Although some of the regional
losses are a result of within continent migration, notably to southern Africa,
a larger portion of the net migration are moving as undocumented migrants
moving to seek better opportunities in Europe and other places outside of
Africa. In 2015 alone, Africa accounted for about 14% (or 34 million) of people
who moved across borders to live in new territories. A majority (70%) of these
moved to a higher income country. Furthermore, over half (52%) of Africa’s 34
million migrants moved within Africa, 27% to Europe, 12% to Asia, 7% to North
America and 2% to Oceania (UNDESA, 2016).
Within the continent, migration has
had its negative social consequences. In 2015, there was widespread xenophobic
related violence in South Africa. The continent can expect to see an increase
in xenophobia as migrants move into new areas and compete with locals for the
ever-shrinking job opportunities. Beyond the continent, there is a rise in
Eurocentric behaviours which would affect relations between the
African migrants and their host nations. Regional integration processes based on
the movement of (human) capital demand much more than the mere harmonisation of
policies that interlink trade, investment, transport and movement of persons;
they need to aim at optimising regional labour markets as well as ensuring the
maximum benefits of the migration process for the African youth. Addressing the mismatch between skills and
labour market needs in Africa during the next decades will be crucial to
reaping the demographic dividend.
Many
analyses on migration tend to overlook gender dimensions, especially as it
pertains to adolescent and young women, yet they too are an important part of
the migration phenomenon. Studies estimate that young women make about half of
all migrants in their age group in Africa and constitute about five percent of
the total global migrant population. More worryingly, a larger segment of
trafficked women are used for sexual exploitation and in forced labour, in which
case their rights are routinely violated (United Nations, 2014).
State of Africa’s Population 2017
(African Union)
Jorge
Emilio Núñez
Twitter:
@London1701
09th October 2018
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