Migrants in Africa often bring skills, boost the workforce, and contribute to human capital development and technological progress. Those who decide to return home can bring back with them new skill sets that they had learned and contribute to knowledge transfer. The remittances of migrants can improve the living conditions of families and facilitate the accumulation of human capital in countries of origin, thus reducing poverty and boosting development. In Africa, remittance inflows have outstripped FDI since 2015. However, the positive contribution of international migrants is overlooked. And while countries have made some progress on capitalizing on migrants’ contribution to development, in African countries these efforts continue to be a missed opportunity. Understanding migrants’ positive contribution to their receiving countries and designing policies that protect and empower them is key for maximizing the benefits of migration.

This project’s objective is to strengthen the capacities of selected countries to integrate strategies in sectoral plans to optimize the contribution of remittances that migrants working in the formal sector send back to their country of origin for sustainable development. By the end of this project, it is expected that targeted member states have integrated strategies in sectoral plans that optimizes the benefits of migration and remittances for sustainable development.

In this context, the project aims to change the rhetoric on migrants’ contribution to development into a more positive one and inform policies that frame migration as a tool for development. Furthermore, the project will aim to strengthen the capacity of Member States to develop relevant policies to allow for reaping the benefits of migration with a focus on remittances. Finally, the project will foster regional dialogue/south-south collaboration, peer learning, and sharing best practices.