In Summary
• A substantial number of migrants is not necessarily a bad thing:
Intra-African migration fosters economic connections between rural and
urban areas and among regional neighbours.
• African migration flows are not as large as some politicians claim
but could increase as the effects of climate change intensify.
• Climate change contributes both to extreme events and chronic
emergencies.

BETTER-EDUCATED
Nothing could be further from the truth: There is no mass exodus from
Africa.
In 2017, more than half of the world’s migrants originated from just
21 countries. The top four were India (6.4 per cent), Mexico (five per
cent), Russia (4.1 per cent) and China (3.9 per cent). The African
country with the largest share of migrants, Egypt, was 19th.
Africa accounts for only 14 per cent of migrant flows, most of them
confined to it. Recent reports â€` by the International Organization for
Migration and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development,
among others â€` show around 70 per cent of Sub-Saharan African migrants
remain on the continent, mostly within East and West Africa (18.5 per
cent and 16.7 per cent, respectively). Almost half (46 per cent) of
all intraregional African migrants are female.
The West thus faces little risk of a massive wave of African migrants.
And a substantial number of migrants is not necessarily a bad thing:
Intra-African migration fosters economic connections between rural and
urban areas and among regional neighbours.
A 2018 Afrobarometer survey of 34 African countries shows younger,
better-educated urbanites are more likely to consider emigrating than
their older, less-educated rural counterparts. They are often
motivated by the desire to find a job (43 per cent) or to escape
economic hardship (33 per cent).
Tapping these migrants’ potential, and ensuring that intra-African
migration is a safe, orderly and productive process, will require
African governments to create better frameworks for managing it.
Beyond collecting and sharing data, international institutions can
share knowledge and best practices with governments, as the Migration
Dialogue in West Africa has done. African governments should increase
their contributions to such initiatives, so far funded by Western donors.
FINANCIAL FLOWS
Technology can also help. The non-profit Techfugees, for example, is
already working to coordinate the tech industry’s response to the
refugee challenge, spurring the development of solutions “for and with
displaced

people”. Existing projects include Migreat, which helps
refugees to navigate the asylum application process, and GeeCycle,
focused on recycling and donating mobile phones to refugees.
Keeping migrants safe requires governments and media to set the record
straight. In South Africa, for example, anti-immigrant rhetoric has
recently fuelled xenophobic attacks on Malawians and Zimbabweans.
African migration flows are not as large as some politicians claim but
could increase as the effects of climate change intensify. Climate
change contributes both to extreme events and chronic emergencies.
Migrants’ home countries also have a role to play. Migration
represents a brain drain within Africa â€` given that most young African
migrants are educated, their departure undermines development in the
countries that need it most, while fuelling growth in host countries
by filling labour gaps, boosting consumption and expanding the tax base.
Migrants do send back remittances â€` one of the largest sources of
financial flows to developing countries â€` but this money is used
mainly to supplement consumption for recipient families rather than to
finance productive investments. That is why home-country governments
should generate quality jobs to entice youth to stay home.
DEVELOP SKILLS
Entrepreneurship has been hailed as the solution to Africa’s jobs
problem. But it requires concerted action from governments. For
example, to address the mismatch between the skills companies seek and
those the youth possess, governments should invest in science,
technology, engineering, and math (Stem) education and vocational
training. They should work with the private sector to improve the
business environment.
They should also capitalise on the dynamism of the large informal
sector, which employs 75-90 per cent of Africans. Formalising
agriculture, agro-processing and small-scale manufacturing and service
enterprises will require governments to provide infrastructure, public
services and access to credit.
At the recent Now Generation Forum in Abidjan, debates among youth
delegates made clear that African young people will no longer
passively await a better future. They are doing everything in their
power not just to develop their skills and find quality jobs but also
to bring about political change â€` as just occurred in Algeria and Sudan. V.2836

One of the highlighted topics: Critical Skills Visa.

- Key Insight: Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast track to working in South Afr...
- This matter relates to critical skills visa and its broader implications.
- Individuals are advised to seek professional guidance.

Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast trac V.6139
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One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, became a victim of identity theft in 2012 when fraudulent transactions occurred, using her personal details.

-The Pretoria High Court found that the department of home affairs had violated constitutional rights without due process.
-Only half of Lawyers for Human Rights` test group has been unblocked, while 385 000 identities remain blocked nationwide.
-LHR appeals extension, urges affected people to seek help now.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) are intensifying pressure on the department of home affairs over the national ID-blocking crisis, accusing the state of acting too slowly to unblock qualifying individuals despite a landmark court ruling.

In January last year, the Pretoria High Court found that the department`s practice of blocking IDs without due process was unlawful and unconstitutional. One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, a Swati citizen and South African permanent resident since 1998, fell victim to identity theft in 2012 when fraudsters used her personal details.

 V.6133
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6128
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6129
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A Washington state mother and her 6-year-old son have been released after spending more than three weeks in US immigration detention due to a brief trip to Canada and a small paperwork mistake, her attorney told CNN on Saturday.

Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand citizen who has lived legally in the US since she arrived in 2021, was detained at the Blaine, Washington, Customs and Border Protection checkpoint when returning home after dropping her two oldest children off at the Vancouver airport for a flight to visit their grandparents in New Zealand. Shaw, 33, chose the flight out of Vancouver because it was direct and she didn`t want her children to have to navigate a layover alone, her attorney Minda Thorward, told CNN.

 V.6130
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On 22 July 2025, the Gauteng High Court dismissed Sitrusrand Boerdery`s review of the Department of Employment and Labour`s refusal to issue a Working Conditions and Salary Benchmarking Certificate, an essential precondition for obtaining corporate visas under the Immigration Act.

Acting Judge Kekana AJ held that the Department`s decision was lawful, rational and procedurally fair. This judgment illustrates how businesses can - and must - structure their corporate visa applications to meet statutory requirements, and how legal practitioners should prepare robust review challenges when administrative authorities decline to recommend foreign-work permits.

 V.6131
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The United States could forfeit an estimated 9.4 billion dollars in visitor spending over the next three years following the introduction of a new 250 dollars `visa integrity fee,` according to industry groups, who warn the policy risks undermining tourism and costing thousands of jobs.
The United States’ decision to introduce a 250 dollars `visa integrity fee` on international visitors has triggered sharp criticism from the global tourism industry, with officials warning that the measure could deter millions of travellers and cost the U.S. economy billions.
The 250dollar `visa integrity fee,` part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed on July 4, 2025, will take effect later this year. According to immigration law firm Envoy Global, it applies to all nonimmigrant visa holders which include students, tourists, temporary workers, and business visitors particularly from African countries. V.6132
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6127
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1. Right to Legal Representation•You have the right to consult with a legal representative.•Contact an immigration practitioner, legal aid clinic, or attorney urgently.•Do not sign any documents without understanding them fully. 2. Section 34 of the Immigration Act•You must be brought to court with 48 hours to confirm arrest but you can remain locked up very long as courts figure out what to do with you •If you`re found to be illegally in South Africa, you may be detained for up to 30 days (extendable by a magistrate) pending deportation.•BUT this cannot happen arbitrarily. You must be informed of your rights, and Home Affairs must follow due process.- becomes a nightmare , you could lose your job , business , place to stay V.6121
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Driving for Bolt, Uber, Mr D, or Checkers Sixty60?If you`re undocumented, you`re risking more than just your income.The Risks if You`re Not Legal: - Vehicle impoundment - Heavy fines - Arrest & deportation - Permanent bans from working in SA V.6122
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