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This regional strategy reflects the essential role that IOM plays in the field of human mobility: protecting, assisting and supporting migrants across the world, developing effective responses to the shifting dynamics of migration, and serving as a key source of advice on migration policy, research, data and practice. It also highlights the critical work that IOM undertakes in emergency situations, developing the resilience of communities and mobile populations, and particularly those in vulnerable situations, while building capacity within governments to manage all forms and impacts of mobility.

Most importantly, this strategy highlights the current and future regional and cross-regional trends and challenges with respect to migration and situations of displacement, and outlines how IOM will seek to address them, including through collaboration with United Nations agencies and other partners.

On Migration, Environment and Climate Change

Environmental degradation and climate change are impacting human mobility across the region. The World Bank estimates that, if no action is undertaken, there will be 86 million internal climate migrants in Africa by 2050. Unpredictable push and pull factors are emerging at the same time as the number of aspiring migrants is increasing due to other factors. Weather patterns are becoming more unpredictable and extreme events more intense, contributing to an increase in disaster displacement in several countries and across wider areas. Beyond being a region particularly vulnerable to sudden-onset events, such as floods, West and Central Africa is also exposed to land degradation, water scarcity and coastal erosion.

Compared to global trends, the region is also expected to be most impacted by urbanization in the next decade, especially in coastal areas, which contribute to 56 per cent of the region’s GDP and host one third of its inhabitants.17 Intraregional labour mobility within natural resource dependent sectors (agriculture, mining and fisheries) is a key trend within the region. The environmental pull factors for migration and specific protection needs of migrant workers and host communities, including in upholding environmental rights, are generally underestimated. The need to address climate resilience is becoming more pronounced in several areas, including the Sahel, where climate change has contributed to a loss of rural livelihoods, including transhumance, accelerated urbanization, instability and conflict. As such, in programming to prevent conflict and to strengthen resilience, IOM will focus on “green” jobs, natural resource management and human mobility governance, especially at the local level.

While migration is one strategy to increase livelihoods and manage risks posed by unmitigated environmental degradation and climate change, more data and evidence are needed to inform sound policymaking and to increase the resilience and adaptive capacities of communities. Policymakers in the region are generally sensitized to the environmental dimension of human mobility, but an important policy gap in addressing climate resilience, human mobility and environmental issues remains and needs to be addressed through intersectoral policy coherence and improved dialogue with partners. 

Content

1. Introduction
2. Political and institutional outlook for the region 
3. Migration outlook for the region 
4. Regional strategic priorities 

• Humanitarian response and resilience
• Mobility
• Governance 

5. Institutional development 

•  Policy capacity and knowledge management 
•  Monitoring and evaluation, accountability, and learning 
• Communications and visibility 
• Staff development 

6. Concluding statement: IOM in the region in 2024