Capacity Building and Innovative Practices

Improving Data on International Migration towards Agenda 2030 and the Global Compact on Migration

Akanni Akinyemi

Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria

Guiding Questions:

What are the greatest migration data capacity-building needs?

What innovative measures have been taken to build migration data capacities?

How to ensure that efforts to improve data on development and migration are aligned?

Migration Data: West Africa

Census Migration stocksEvery 10 years!!!Nigeria-1991, 2016

limited by 1. the number of

questions2. Consistency of

variable: citizenship or birth

1. Timeliness,2. limited

questions, 3. expensive, 4. Availability-IPUMS 5. Skills

Administrative Data 38-Nigeria, 19- Ghana,

1. Capacity of agencies

2. Evidence

1. Unprocessed (Migration cards)

2. Overlapping3. Standardization

and Methods4. Lack of

harmonized template

Specialized Surveys/ Research

Very few, localized studies

1. Fund driving2. “interpretation”

Funding

Data Harmonization

• Within Countries: No Harmonization

Nigeria and Ghana within the last few years-Technical Working Group

Migration policy

Migration Profile

Migration Management Strategy

Migration-related Data across Agencies/Institutions

Data Category Variable Stakeholder InstitutionNo. of

Agencies

Cross-Border Migrants

Migrant Stock Ghana Statistical Service (GSS)2

Migrant Flow Ghana Immigration Service (GIS)

DiasporaGhanaians’ living abroad

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration

1

Emigrants

Emigrant Workers

Ghana Immigration Service (GIS)

4

Labour Department

Ghana Statistical Service (GSS)

Emigrant Students

Ghana Immigration Service (GIS)

Ministry of Education

Forced Migrants Refugees Ghana Refugee Board 1

IDPs --

Irregular MigrantsTrafficked Persons

Anti-Trafficking Unit of Ghana Police

1

Addressing the issues

• Map migration data across agencies

• Capacity development in data management and reporting

Gaps in Data/ CAPACITY

• Develop a common data template for data sharing Coordination and

synergy

• Standardization of data

• Feedback to national Data frameworkQuality

Assurance

Case study of Ghana

ECOWAS EXPERIENCE

• Across ECOWAS Different templates across agencies

• Agency either not collecting, lack of capacity to collect

• Limited research funding

Migration Cards-Embarkation/Disembarkation Cards

Ghana Nigeria S.Leone Gambia Liberia

Sex + - - - +Name of Vessel + + - - +Purpose/Nature of Travel + - + + +Declaration of foreign

currencies+ - - - -

Number of Accompanists - - + + -Duration of stay + - + + +(+) information asked,

(-) represents information not asked.

Migration Cards-Embarkation/Disembarkation Cards

• Nigeria just concluded scanning and analysis of 2010-2014

• Ghana is working on scanning of over 10 years backlogs

• Millions unprocessed cards in Sierra Leone, Gambia and Liberia

Innovative Measures

Within ECOWAS, only Nigeria, Ghana have reports on capacity assessment of government agencies with mandate on migration related issues.

Both countries have developed migration data management strategy framework with formation of National TWG drawn from MDAs.

The Consortium of ECOWAS, IOM, ILO, ICMPD conducted a baseline on Migration Data Management across ECOWAS in 2014.

Discussion…Across many Africa countries, particularly within ECOWAS, there is a very weak capacity to produce relevant data. Capacity building needs will include:

Strengthening of national agencies and ministries with migration related mandates to collect data.

Migration data harmonization at national levels.

Support to academic and research institutions in capacity development for migration studies. The economic returns from fundamental research can be considerable, far in excess of the initial costs of the research.

Regional data harmonization

Aligning Efforts to Improve Data on Migration and Development

Development of regional and national template for capacity development.

Engagement and research support to academic and research centres in migration studies

Development of national and regional template for migration indicators.

Key Message

• Need to move resources to support:

National Agencies

Research and Academic Units

Regional efforts and Institutiona