ENHANCING REGIONAL COOPERATION FOR IMPROVED MIGRATION GOVERNANCE IN THE SADC REGION: DEVELOPMENT OF A REGIONAL MIGRATION POLICY FRAMEWORK

The SADC region has had a long history of intra-regional human mobility. The mining sector - backbone of the major economies in the region - benefitted from the movement of labour which was a defining feature of migration in Southern Africa. The SADC Regional Labour Migration Framework was adopted in 2014 with the aim of improving the management of labour mobility within the region. In recent times, middle income countries in the SADC region - such as South Africa - have become a magnet also attracting an increasing number of migrants from other regions of the continent (notably the Horn of Africa) and beyond. Hence, managing mixed migration flows into and within the region is one of the issues SADC Member States have tried to address collectively, through the adoption of the Regional Action Plan on mixed migration . Whilst some progress has been made in addressing specific aspects of migration through these initiatives (labour migration and irregular migration in particular), a more holistic approach which takes into consideration the cross-sectoral and multifaceted nature of the phenomenon needs to be bolstered in order to enhance a solid regional cooperation on migration in Southern Africa.