27-28 May 2015, the Government of Nigeria in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) held a two-day conference in Abuja, which focused on the thematic areas of the recently adopted National Migration Policy for Nigeria. The conference took place within the framework of the National 10th European Development Fund project “Promoting Better Management of Migration in Nigeria”.
Over the two days nine research papers, selected after a Call for Papers in the last quarter of 2015, were presented and discussed. Each paper addressed one of the thematic areas within the Policy- Youth, Migration and Development; Labour Migration; Migration and Climate Change; Urbanization and Internal Migration in Nigeria; Forced Migration in Nigeria; Migration and Gender; Migration, Data, Policy and Governance; and Migration and Human Rights.

The Conference, which was hosted by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) with IOM, drew together participants from ministries, departments and agencies of the Nigerian government, representatives of the civil society organizations, international organizations, the diplomatic community, academics and migration experts from Nigeria and within the region for a discussion on emerging migration issues and trends.

According Michael Arrion, Ambassador of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), “This Conference is highly important for contributing to the knowledge base available for policymakers and the wider social discussion on migration.”

The EU Ambassador noted that, public perception about migration in Europe, particularly from sub-Saharan countries like Nigeria, was unfortunately based on the negative representations in the news or popular culture and that the empirical evidence provided by research played an important role in painting a more accurate picture of migration.

Some of the key points that arose from the Conference included the need for more research on the internal migration and labour migration. It was also noted that while there was much focus on emigration, there was need for more study on immigration and its impact on Nigeria.

It was also noted that Nigeria is making progress towards proper coordination of migration through platforms such as the technical working groups, which draws together relevant stakeholders from ministries, departments and agencies, international organizations, civil society organizations, academia and non-state actors working on issues related to migration.

According to Hadiza Kangiwa, Commissioner NCFRMI “By forging the linkage between empirical analysis and current migration theory, this conference would raise awareness and stakeholders’ commitment towards the implementation of the national policy on migration and its plan of action. It is also expected that the conference would contribute to the wider social discussion on migration and development in Nigeria. The contribution that research makes to policy planning and implementation is important.”

“Promoting Better Management of Migration in Nigeria” is a project under the National 10th European Development Fund. The project is funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Organization for Migration.

For more information, please contact Lily Sanya, Programme Officer, Data and Policy (lsanya@iom.int; +234 705 400 6107).