Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ReMiCom (The Challenges of Return Migration in Africa in the Age of Complex Emergencies: Comparing Multilevel Governance Systems in Ethiopia and Nigeria)
Reporting period: 2020-11-01 to 2022-10-31
This ‘ReMiCom’ MSCA fills the research/policy gaps in the field of return migration in Africa, against the backdrop of the migration 'crisis' in Europe, increases in the EU’s external border security in order to curb irregular migration, and the complex challenges faced by migrants transiting through Libya to Europe. It uses a multilevel governance (MLG) framework to explore the decision-making processes/politics of returning stranded migrants from Libya to their countries of origin in the context of interdependence between governmental actors and nongovernmental organizations at the local, national, regional, and global levels.
The focus of this MSCA is important for migration governance in Africa because few previous studies have given attention to the effects of MLG on return migration to, or on, the continent, or to the critical linkages of institutional complexity with intergovernmental coordination and policy coherence. This project addresses these concerns using the case of the return of stranded migrants in Libya to their home countries of Ethiopia and Nigeria in order to provide important lessons on how multiple governance authorities with different ideas and power resources interact to shape return migration policies/politics, how these multilevel policies/politics affect sustainable reintegration of returnee migrants, and how these migrants navigate complex MLG dynamics.
The objectives of this MSCA have been to (a) Understand the nature and scope of return migration across complex multi-level contexts in Africa; (b) Investigate the complex interactions and negotiations that occur between returnee migrants and MLG actors; (c) Analyse implications of these interactions and the conflict and cooperation therefrom for returnee migrants’ reintegration; (d) Explore the strategies returnees use to negotiate between and among multiple level structures to assert their status as citizens; and (e) Investigate the gender ramifications of return migration.
The focus of this MSCA is important for migration governance in Africa because few previous studies have given attention to the effects of MLG on return migration to, or on, the continent, or to the critical linkages of institutional complexity with intergovernmental coordination and policy coherence. This project addresses these concerns using the case of the return of stranded migrants in Libya to their home countries of Ethiopia and Nigeria in order to provide important lessons on how multiple governance authorities with different ideas and power resources interact to shape return migration policies/politics, how these multilevel policies/politics affect sustainable reintegration of returnee migrants, and how these migrants navigate complex MLG dynamics.
The objectives of this MSCA have been to (a) Understand the nature and scope of return migration across complex multi-level contexts in Africa; (b) Investigate the complex interactions and negotiations that occur between returnee migrants and MLG actors; (c) Analyse implications of these interactions and the conflict and cooperation therefrom for returnee migrants’ reintegration; (d) Explore the strategies returnees use to negotiate between and among multiple level structures to assert their status as citizens; and (e) Investigate the gender ramifications of return migration.
The project uses the MLG framework to explain the decision-making processes concerning the return of stranded migrants in Libya to their home countries of Ethiopia and Nigeria. These two countries are key origin countries for large numbers of migrants, and hence are always faced with the challenge of the return of their nationals back home. They are also countries that have experienced internal conflicts which, in recent times, have led to a high number of forced displacements. The exacerbation of insecurity risks in these countries not only posed challenges for the return and reintegration process but also the conduct of research associated with this Action. The Researcher began the Fellowship on November 1st, 2020, and by November 3rd of the same year, disagreement between the Ethiopian Government and Tigray Region of Ethiopia degenerated into an armed conflict. The ensuing civil war did not formally end until November 2022, coinciding with the conclusion of the fellowship. Similarly, Nigeria was beset by cases of banditry and kidnapping for ransom, leading to the UK Foreign Office issuing travel warnings. Thus, travel restriction due to COVID-19 and high insecurity in the study's case countries prevented the Fellow from travelling to the countries for face-to-face interviews as planned, and derailed the timely conduct of online fieldwork.
Despite these challenges however, the Fellow strove to manage the situation the best possible way, conduct online interviews when the security situation allowed, and deliver on project plans. During the first phase of the project, the Researcher acquired specialized knowledge in a new research area. He participated in several seminars on different aspects of migration-security nexus. The Fellow also refined Literature and theoretical framework/methodological approaches, as well as generated Interview guidelines/questions. He also took a course to enhance his teaching and curriculum development skills. taught a module on Migration, supervised four (4) Masters projects, and served as external examiner for a PhD viva. The secondment at the IOM office in Switzerland, as well as public engagement through such mediums as sharing of research findings with relevant stakeholders in Ethiopia and Nigeria were disrupted due to COVID-19 and security risks in these countries. An online version of public knowledge sharing is however stakeholders in Ethiopia and Nigeria for 2023.
In terms of academic knowledge exchange, the Fellow presented one Workshop paper and signed a book contract with McGill-Queen's University Press. Two journal articles, one journal Special Issue, three conference papers, and one conference organization/knowledge debriefing are underway for 2023. The Fellow also co-edited a book, wrote two book chapters, co-authored a journal article, and presented three conference/workshop papers.
Despite these challenges however, the Fellow strove to manage the situation the best possible way, conduct online interviews when the security situation allowed, and deliver on project plans. During the first phase of the project, the Researcher acquired specialized knowledge in a new research area. He participated in several seminars on different aspects of migration-security nexus. The Fellow also refined Literature and theoretical framework/methodological approaches, as well as generated Interview guidelines/questions. He also took a course to enhance his teaching and curriculum development skills. taught a module on Migration, supervised four (4) Masters projects, and served as external examiner for a PhD viva. The secondment at the IOM office in Switzerland, as well as public engagement through such mediums as sharing of research findings with relevant stakeholders in Ethiopia and Nigeria were disrupted due to COVID-19 and security risks in these countries. An online version of public knowledge sharing is however stakeholders in Ethiopia and Nigeria for 2023.
In terms of academic knowledge exchange, the Fellow presented one Workshop paper and signed a book contract with McGill-Queen's University Press. Two journal articles, one journal Special Issue, three conference papers, and one conference organization/knowledge debriefing are underway for 2023. The Fellow also co-edited a book, wrote two book chapters, co-authored a journal article, and presented three conference/workshop papers.
This MSCA has pushed the frontiers of migration governance forward in important ways. The upcoming book Return Migration to Africa: Europe, Securitzation and Multilevel Governance will shed new light on the roles of institutions, policies, and politics in migration governance in Africa. Theoretically, it is expected to make significant contributions to the literature on MLG. By critically applying an MLG framework, which has largely been used in the context of Europe, to the analysis of return migration to Africa, the book will further our understanding of how the literature on MLG can be better refined in light of new insights from case studies of African countries. The book will also provide original insight into how the external dimension of the context of return migration affects multilevel processing of migrants’ return to their countries of origin in Africa. It further examines how much and what kind of intergovernmental harmonisation and conflict resolution mechanisms are needed to enhance policy coherence between various multilevel actions for sustainable and accountable return and reintegration in light of external pressures and domestic governance challenges. Such evidence-based information will help to improve the EU’s migration policies and partnerships such as the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration. Discussions with the relevant stakeholders including the returnee migrants and community level actors reveal the types of actions, such as more active involvement and participation of local communities in the design and implementation of reintegration policies, that need to be taken to overcome existing governance gaps and enhance collaborative problem-solving in order to ensure sustainable reintegration. The MSCA is therefore expected to also benefit local community actors who will use this information to enhance their engagements with formal multilevel stakeholders and ensure more robust joint stakeholding and ownership of the return and reintegration process.
In addition to the above, this MSCA has enabled the Fellow to collaborate with other researchers working on the broad return migration to Africa topic from different disciplinary perspectives through the Special Issue that they are working on. Such collaboration helps the Fellow and other scholars connect their findings to better account for the multidimensional phenomenon of migration as is the case of migrant's return from Libya amidst various instabilities and vulnerabilities, and moves by the EU to stop irregular migrants from entering Europe.
In addition to the above, this MSCA has enabled the Fellow to collaborate with other researchers working on the broad return migration to Africa topic from different disciplinary perspectives through the Special Issue that they are working on. Such collaboration helps the Fellow and other scholars connect their findings to better account for the multidimensional phenomenon of migration as is the case of migrant's return from Libya amidst various instabilities and vulnerabilities, and moves by the EU to stop irregular migrants from entering Europe.