AfDB, IOM to turn migration into dev’t investment.

AfDB Director General for Southern Africa, Kennedy Mbekeani, who represented the President of AfDB, Dr Ould Tah, said the movement of people and development go hand in glove, and cannot be separated.

Mbekeani added that economic development cannot advance without regional integration, and regional integration cannot advance without the movement of people to facilitate cross border trade, investment, tourism and other services.

He was corroborated by Yitna Getachew, the Sub regional Director of the International Office of Migration, who said the partnership will allow them to bring together financing, policy leverage, and operational expertise to address challenges that neither institution can effectively resolve alone. 

Officials highlighted the need for safe and orderly movement of persons, not only across Africa, but all over the world. IOM and AfDB officials also disclosed that up to 60 percent of international migrants are workers, who contribute to development across the world. 

They also noted that displacements continue to affect tens of millions in Africa. They stressed that the link between mobility and development is no longer theoretical, reason the AfDB and IOM, as a matter of obligation, are taking the opportunity to act fast.

Delegations from both institutions deliberated on how to integrate IT-enabled mobility systems in the African Development Bank´s investments in transport corridors and regional value chains. 

The goal officials noted, is to enhance responses to fragility, resilience, and climate-related displacement as well as advance labour mobility and human capital development.

Discussions also emphasized sustainable development and route-based, people-centered approaches that consider migration dynamics across entire corridors, from origin to destination, while integrating diaspora engagement and innovative financing.

The officials  announced that a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, they signed last year marks the first phase of a structured, sequenced engagement, designed to progress from strategic alignment to operational definition, ultimately embedding migration and mobility priorities into longer-term programming cycles within both the AfDB and IOM. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3834 of Wednesday July 01, 2026