Migration in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Africans arriving by rickety fishing boats to the Canary Islands, risking the passage across the Straits of Gibraltar or washed upon the Italian island of Lampedusa are familiar examples of therecent growth in migration from Africa to Europe. There is a darkside of migration in human trafficking, but the picture of a continenton the move also includes highly skilled professionals fromNigeria and Ghana who seek employment in universities and otherprofessions in South Africa. On the positive side migrant remittancesare a major source of income in many sub-Saharan Africancountries, helping to sustain the lives of poor home communities.A major challenge now facing sub-Saharan Africa is how to attractskilled emigrants back for national development.

<p>CONTENTS --Why focus on migration? -- The sub-Saharan African migration scene -- Emigration of professionals: causes and consequences -- The characteristics and roles of remittances in sub-Saharan Africa -- The role of the diaspora in country-of-origin development -- Human trafficking -- Legislative framework governing migration in sub-Saharan Africa -- Principal actors in migration issues in sub-Saharan Africa -- Migration and development: challenges and prospects</p>