MIDEQ regional conference on migration for development and equality

While south-south migration constitutes more than 70 percent of human mobility globally, it is not given much attention in both policy and academic circles. This is partly due to the fact that media narratives tend to portray exodus from the Global South to the Global North. In recent years, it is widely acknowledged that if well managed, south-south migration has the potential to reduce inequalities and contribute to development. However, as a result, of lack of data on south-south migration and inability of governments to design and implement policies to harness the benefits of migration, the potential of south-south migration to contribute to economic transformation has not been fully realised.

The UKRI Migration for Development and Equality project (MIDEQ) works with a global network of partners in twelve countries in the Global South, organised into six migration ‘corridors’, to enhance understanding of the relationships between migration, development and inequality. The project seeks to shift the production of knowledge about migration and its consequences towards the countries where most migration takes place – engaging with contested concepts and definitions, decolonising research processes and generating new evidence and ideas. The ultimate aim of the project is to translate knowledge and ideas into policies and practices, which work to improve the lives of migrants, their families and the communities in which they live.

As part of the MIDEQ work plan, a regional conference is being organised in Ghana to provide platform for project partners, policy makers and civil society groups in Africa. It is our belief that this conference will provide an avenue for intensification of lesson drawing, knowledge sharing, and purposive interactions among researchers, public officials and migrants on how we can harness the benefits of south-south migration for socio-economic development.

Download the full programme below.