The main trends of African migration include large numbers of people moving within the continent, often to countries belonging to the same regional economic communities. The top destination countries are South Africa, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. People migrate for economic reasons like unemployment, climate factors like droughts and floods, and conflicts. While migration provides economic benefits, it can also cause social tensions as native populations fear losing jobs to migrants or see migrants as threats to security. South Africa in particular has faced regular xenophobic attacks against migrants.

1. African Migration

2. What would you say are the main characteristics
or trends of African migration?

3. Intra-continental
migration

4. Which do you think are
the main destination
countries and why?

5. Top 15 intra-African migration
corridors, 2017 (thousands)
South Africa
Uganda
Cote d’Ivoire
Nigeria Ethiopia

6. People tend to migrate to
countries that belong to
the same regional
economic organizations

7. Reasons to migrate
1. Economic reasons
 Unemployment
 Demand of labor force
2. Climate Change
 intensity of rains, storms and flooding, and desertification and
drought
 Lake Chad
3. Degradation and Disasters
 Tropical cyclone Idai in Mozambique (2019)
4. Conflict, war and Terrorism
Displacements (refugees):
 Somalia to Kenya
 DRC to Angola, Uganda and Zambia

9. Consequences
Economic
Native population think that migrants steal jobs
Some see migration as an impulse to the regions’
economies.
Social
People are not recognized as part of a society.
Aggressiveness towards foreigners. -“Migrants are the cause of insecurity”
Demographic
Birth right citizenship and dual citizenship Tanzania, Chad and Guinea-Bissau

10. Case: South Africa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWlF4lrf1Fg

11. Case: South Africa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z5E0Gm6lsI

12. Unemployment rate
(29%)
Indiscriminate attacks
against migrants
Industries choose not to invest or
settle in the country for these acts
Blame to the
lack of
government
effectiveness
and the
apartheid

13. Tension in diplomatic relations of several countries with
South Africa.
Condemnation by the African Union and a possible
rejection of the future by the entire continent.Even from
countries and organizations outside the continent.
Indignation within social media and creation of
marches and movements against xenophobic acts.
The government, based on the recent events, proposed
the NAP (2019). At the same time, many government
functionaries have refused the attacks as xenophobics
acts.
Responses to xenophobia

14. What would you do to solve this problem?

15. Referencias
• BBC News. (2019, October 2nd). “South Africa: How common are xenophobic attacks”. BBC News. Retrieved from
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47800718
• El Orden Mundial. (2019). Las migraciones en África. Retrieved from https://elordenmundial.com/mapas/las-
migraciones-en-africa/
• El país. (2018, January, 16). “La mayoría de africanos no emigra donde usted (quizá) piensa)”. El País. Retrieved
from https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/01/11/planeta_futuro/1515674435_555866.html
• Gobierno de España. (2018). Las migraciones en África. Retrieved from
www.exteriores.gob.es/Portal/es/PoliticaExteriorCooperacion/Africa/Documents/20180724_ARTICULO.pdf
• Head, T. (2019, September 10). “Naledi Pandor Slams “apartheid” as the cause of xenophobic attacks”. The South
African. Retrieved from https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/naledi-pandor-slams-apartheid-as-the-cause-of-
xenophobic-attacks/
• Holmes, C. (2019, September 9). “What’s behind South Africa’s xenophobic violence last week?”. The Washington
Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/09/09/whats-behind-south-africas-xenophobic-
violence-last-week/
• Internal displacement monitoring centre. (2017). African report on internal displacement. Retrieved from
www.internal-displacement.org/publications/2017-africa-report-on-internal-displacement
• Republic of South Africa. (n.d). National Action Plan. Retrieved from
https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/201903/national-action-plan.pdf
• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. (2018). Economic Development in Africa Report 2018.
Migration for Structural Migration. New York, United States of America: United Nations Publications.