International Migration and Sustainable Human Development in Eastern and Southem Africa

Abstract

A conference held in Dakar, Senegal in 1988 was the first step in a process towards establishing a Migration Network for Eastern and Southern Africa (MINESA).’ Although no formal network has yet been established, the MINESA flag has been kept flying through a recent article in International Migration Oucho, 1993). However, plans are expected to become reality in view of migration and associated problems having dominated the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) scene without any systematic means or medium to discuss the problems and to arrive at solutions likely to benefit more than twenty countries in the two subregions (Figure1,page49).* While the study of international migration in Africa has been directed mainly to Western Africa (Zachariah and Conde, 198l), a comparative analysis of Western-Central (Middle) Africa and Eastern-Southern Africa (Adepoju, 1990) suggests that there are significant differences in the determinants and consequences of international migratory movements between the two sets of contiguous subregions. A notable difference relates to dominant South-North emigration, mainly “brain drain” to Europe and North America from Western-Middle African countries (Adepoju, 1991) and its virtual absence (except in Zambia) in Eastern and Southern African countries. This article addresses two propositions. First, the two subregions have experienced international migration which, though recognized in many circles and reported in the literature, remain largely covert and rarely addressed in policies that guide population and development interrelations within individual countries or in the programmes and activities of the various regional cooperations. Second, though countries of the two*Director, Population Studies and Research Institute, University of Nairobi, Kenya. 31 subregions share much in common regarding development perceptions and aspirations through various regional organizations, they need to take cognizance of salient international migration issues. Indeed, the ESA conference and the MINESA effort were designed to institute a responsible and systematic approach to articulating the role of international migration in sustainable shared development within the context of regional cooperation rather than the needs of individual member states