The Summit which attracted many distinguished personalities from Africa and beyond is meant to shed more light on Migration and related matters with the theme: Reappraising Migration Reportage And Its Impact On The West African
In his opening remarks, JIFORM’s President Ajibola Abayomi explained the formation of JIFORM in 2018 when the international media trainers assembled top journalists in Nigeria to draw our attention to the need to enlighten the continent on migration reporting, which can contribute to the growth of the African economy.
Ajibola explained that, in other parts of the world, most migrants from Western Africa are seeking employment and better economic opportunities due to economic hardship, “poverty” and “better business prospects” were the dominant reasons why Africans emigrate elsewhere. This encouraged many Middle Eastern countries continued to take advantage of these shortcomings to maltreat and subject many of the African youths mostly the women to untoward hardship under the KAFALA system of employment
According to the World Bank Report he said, Nigeria, the largest recipient in the Sub-Saharan Africa in absolute terms, received nearly 64 per cent of this total (17.2 billion), while the Gambia (15.6 per cent) and Cabo Verde (13.9 per cent) received the most remittances as a share of GDP
JIFORM ‘s mission to supports procedural mobility through regulated and regular migration abroad to earn foreign currencies is the only decent way to bring about prosperous journey as against the perilous ones either through the desert or the Mediterranean Sea.
He also noted the numerous training courses done by JIFORM for journalists and other stakeholders, from which over 3000 participants have benefitted. He also mentioned JIFORM’s willingness to partner with NGOs, Institutions and Agencies to complement and fulfil objectives, including IOM (Nigeria, Gambia, Ghana), ALTEC Global, the NEKOTECH Center of Excellence, ESCAE University, Benin Republic, Diaspora Innovation Institute, the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism in Dortmund, Germany.
For Her Excellency Dr. Princess Asie Kabuki Ocansey, member of the African Union Labour-Migration Advisory Committee from Ghana, as in past summits, dealt with issues reflecting the direct encounters on our brothers and sisters in foreign lands struggling to earn money to send for their families back home. And what the best African countries held and methods for their salvation.
She shared her role as a Principal consultant to the Sierra Leonean government on migration matters, made a call for African women to be trained and offered jobs by well-trained labour consultants to achieve the desired results.
She also informed us some of the steps available in place to help Irregular migrants who already made it to those destinations to have a second chance in saving their incomes, this includes the opening of Current and Saving Bank accounts, would help them on their return and reintegration.
This, she recalled left many migrants returning home empty-handed due to the bad things their employers did to them. Madam Ocansey also called on government to advocate for the banning of the Kafala system that is still in practice in Oman, Lebanon, UAE, and other Middle Eastern countries.
The former Nigerian High Commissioner to Singapore, Bolaji Alade Akinremi pledged support of the ministry for the JIFORM both within and outside Africa.
For this reason, Nigeria has created or strengthened about five (5) government agencies to contribute to the fight against irregular migration. Additionally, Nigeria has put in place some administrative instruments that would ensure enhanced results in the implementation of migration-related programmes and projects most likely the National Migration Policy (2015), Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Enforcement Act (2003), as amended in 2015, Nigeria Immigration Act, amended in 2015, National Drug Law Enforcement Act, amended in 2015, and the Labour Migration Policy (2015)”.
Bolaji stressed that, the only way migration can be profitable is when it is regulated and regular in accordance with the international laws and best practices.
Biram S Jobe JIFORM West Africa Coordinating Secretary during his contribution said, it is common knowledge that almost all African countries benefit from huge amount of money sent by families and friends from the diaspora amounting to millions of dollars and thus contributed to the socio-economic development of those countries; but it is also good to add the alarm that, a great chunk of the youths lost their lives, trying to get to these so-called ‘greener pastures’.
Recent data published by the World Bank shows that, in 2020, Gambians living abroad sent back home $588m (five hundred and eighty-eight million dollars) by official means. If one adds the unofficial sending of money, via friends and relatives, it becomes clear how important those living in the diaspora are to this country.
In this regard, it is therefore encouraging to see recent efforts by Gambia Government creating the National Coordination Mechanism (NCM) on Migration for The Gambia which will supervise and coordinate al migration related matters and look for better guidelines in coping this menace.
For IOM Ghana, Wilmot Kojo, dealt with migrant’s reintegration and voluntary returns and pledged to do more for African migrants in this regard.
The Excellent job done by JIFORM Francophone Coordinator, Dr Williams Azuma Ijoma in the interpretation must also be given a special mention.
BY: Biram S. Jobe