African regional review of implementation of the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration: key findings of the continental report

Abstract

Implementation of the Global Compact is being reviewed in 2020 and 2021 in preparation for the International Migration Review Forum, to be convened in 2022. Drawing on information contained in national voluntary reports submitted by member States, together with additional information and data, this brief report summarizes the status of implementation of the Global Compact in Africa. The Africa We Want, the African Union proposed that all visa requirements for intra-African travel should be waived by 2018 and a legal framework adopted by 2023 for the issuance of an African common passport. The COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted trade and travel, leading to a spike in unemployment. This threatens to undo much of the progress that has been achieved in recent years on key development indicators and has further worsened the long-standing migrant “protection crisis”, in that increasing numbers of migrants are facing food insecurity and compromised access to health-care services.