Africa Migration Data Network (AMDN)

Established in 2021, the Africa Migration Data Network (AMDN) aims to promote a continental exchange of good practices on migration data issues, facilitate coordination and collaboration among members of the network in the implementation of migration data-related initiatives, and improve their effectiveness through dissemination and outreach.

The network particularly seeks to: (i) provide an opportunity to better identify and respond to capacity-building needs; (ii) promote the sharing of data across Africa and (iii) contribute to efforts to harmonize migration concepts, definitions and data methods, contributing to the comparability of data across countries and to improving the evidence base on migration in the continent.

As key activities, the network aims to produce a bi-annual flagship report providing an overview of migration data in Africa, based on national migration statistics. The AMDN will also gather in an annual meeting at the StatAfric premises in Tunis (this will be a virtual meeting in the first instance). A series of thematic webinars will also be organized on different migration-relevant subjects, such as data on remittances in Africa, the impact of COVID-19 on data-related activities, and other topics.

What we expect to achieve

• Active collaboration and communication between migration data stakeholders at the regional and continental levels.
• Stronger collaboration with other regional networks working on migration and data.
• Enhanced sharing and dissemination of migration data across Africa.
• More practical guidance on data capacity-building methodologies and sharing of existing good practices, including through the harmonization of migration concepts and definitions.
• Improved capacity of national data stakeholders to more effectively collect, manage, analyse and disseminate migration data to inform policy.

Members

Members of the AMDN include:

• Representatives from National Statistical Offices (NSOs) in each country in Africa. This would help identify the challenges that the network members are facing on the ground and assist in articulating problems correctly, as well as what solutions may work in the African context.
• Representatives from key migration-relevant ministries in Africa. This would contribute to improving the use of administrative data sources for migration statistics, as well as promoting dialogue with migration policymakers in the various countries, to facilitate effective use of data for policy.

African Union (AU) Member States:

Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, , Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau. Kenya, the Kingdom of Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, Republic of the Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Kingdom of Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Steering Group

• The African Union Commission’s Institute of Statistics (STATAFRIC),
• The International Organisation for Migration’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC),
• Statistics Sweden (SCB), and
• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and OECD Development Centre.

Partners

Contact us

If you would like to learn more about the initiative and its activities please contact Marzia Rango at mrango@iom.int or Kenza Aggad at kaggad@iom.int.