John Babalola
Introduction
Knowledge is power and no man can grow or do better beyond his knowledge, it is with this in mind this essay tries to explain education to be one of the of the basic ingredients for development, a tool required for successful and legitimate migration. Education helps an individual navigate life and contribute to society once they become older (Charizze, 2023). This essay will show the importance and the role of education and knowledge in reducing border irregular migration in West Africa, it will address the role of education, knowledge of the border usage and the implication of irregular migration in curbing the migration challenges which tends to reduce the number of irregular migrants along the border coast in West Africa. Many irregular migrants from West Africa who navigated through the Mediterranean to Europe have lost their lives, some have been abused from torture, rape etc because they are not well informed about the implications of pling that route and not having proper documentations to migrate to their country of destination. In doing that, the essay will analyse the situation of the border migration from West Africa through to the north Africa as Europe is envisaged to be the destination which tend to be the final destinations of most of the route users as Libya used to be a popular destination for those intending to enter Europe through the Mediterranean (Teye, 2022). Many are doing this innocently since they are not informed, they lack the required knowledge of the implications and the consequences of their actions. This essay will unravel this and then discuss the way forward for a better use of the border and prepare migrants on how to equip themselves before taking any travelling plan. Lastly, the essay aims to address the education gap by exploring the historical evolution of migration in the region. By understanding how migration began and the underlying reasons behind it, people can be better informed and less likely to misuse relocation opportunities. While migration has been widely abused, a deeper knowledge of its history can help correct misconceptions and promote more responsible migration practices, ultimately reducing the problem significantly.
Evolving trends of migration in West Africa
The genesis of migration can be traced from the Stone Age where many men and women left their homes in search of a better living standard (Amuakwa-Mensah, Boakye-Yiadom and Baah-Boateng, 2016). During the precolonial era, population mobility, in the West African sub-region, was largely driven by economic factors, especially the search for fertile lands for farming, and trading in goods. Aderanti (2009), posited that prior to colonisation, the motives for migration were in search of security, and in search of new lands that were safe for settlement and fertile for farming. Many of the ethnic groups of the sub-region are thought to have moved to the present locations in search of safe havens (Teye, 2022). Basically, we can say people migrate to enhance their lifestyle and for the betterment of their current stance. Historically, migrants regarded the sub-region as an economic space within which trade in goods and services flowed, and people moved freely (Aderanti, 2009). In the past, there has been a wave of inter relationship between these states even before the proclamation of independence, the Berlin conference leading to the partition of West Africa cannot be spared as a barton that separated brothers and community in the region, bearing the relationship that existed between them in mind, it is difficult for these inter states movement to be completely stopped. Rather than stopping, it is growing.
Migration in West Africa has always been within their locality but eventually metamorphosed into transborder practice that was enhanced by economic motive and drive (Pull factors). The trading in various commodities crystallized into the famous trans-Saharan trade routes (Adepoju, 2003). The economic policies adopted by the various colonial administrations and the establishment of national boundaries has significantly changed the patterns of migration from and within West Africa. The slave trade led to the forced migration of millions of West Africans to North America, Europe and the Caribbean. With specific reference to intra-regional mobility, the construction of railways and roads by the colonial administration facilitated large-scale, male dominated, seasonal and cross-border labour movements within the sub-region (Teye, 2022). West Africa has experienced various types of migration caused by demographic pressure, poverty, poor economic performances and endemic conflicts, and this can be classified to the push factor according to (Kirwin and Anderson, 2018). The word was coined because push factors are unfavourable conditions that warrants pushing people out of their home country in search of a suitable environment. We can rightly conclude that migration in West Africa has always been motivated largely by the pull factor rather than the push factor, the former are the attractive elements that motivate their decisions to migrate down there, making the West Africa becoming vulnerable and porous.
The large porous borders, virtually uncontrolled and unsupervised, facilitated so-called illegal immigration along several bush paths (Adepoju, 1991). To add to this movement across states is the enaction of the free movement protocol of ECOWAS in 1979, which aims at creating a borderless West Africa. ECOWAS’ Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Establishment, guaranteeing Community citizens visa free entry into Member States for ninety days, is a pacesetter among regional economic communities in Africa.
To sum this up, West Africans are peculiarly mobile in term of migration. Teye (2022) said that West Africans are among the most mobile people in the world. Data provided by IOM shows that West Africans constitute a significant proportion of irregular arrivals in Italy, Spain. Greece and Malta. The irregular migrants usually travel through the Sahara Desert and then enter Europe through the Mediterranean (International Organization for Migration, 2020). West Africa is experiencing mixed migration, which refers to cross-border movements of people, including refugees fleeing persecution and conflict, victims of trafficking, and people seeking better lives and opportunities (Teye, 2022). While media narratives suggest an exodus of Africans to the global North, intra-regional mobility is the dominant type of movement in West Africa, with more than 70% of migrants from West African countries moving to destinations within the sub-region (UNDESA, 2018).
Many West Africans also migrate because of the cultural values attached to emigration. Indeed, international migration is seen as a status symbol. Indeed, international migration is seen as a prestige maker. Current and return migrants are highly respected in many West African societies (Teye, 2022). For instance, during funerals in Ghana, the number of the dead person’s children living abroad, as captured on the obituary poster, is used as a measure of the family’s economic and social status, and the importance that people in the community will attach to attending such funerals (Teye, 2022). Therefore, people sometimes migrate just to enhance the social status of their families, not calculating the cost, the risks and having the required knowledge about their destination.
Drivers of Irregular Migration in West Africa
Irregular migrant is a person who comes to settle in a country without the correct legal documentation, or who lives there using false identification or no documentation at all (“sans papiers” – without papers), or who otherwise resides in a country without formal permission (Aderanti, 2009). West Africa is the primary destination region for migrants in Africa and has a very high rate of intra-regional mobility. At the same time, the EU is the main destination outside Africa for West African migrants (Nelly, 2009). These combined explains and justify the causes and the course of irregular migration in the region.
The West African migrants with the sole intention of relocating to Europe illegally sometime have to face the hurdle long and desperate journey travelling along the changing overland routes to North Africa or Europe to work and in some cases to seek asylum within the past years. For referencing, a lot of people migrate from West Africa to Europe using the irregular means, the number of migrants passing through Agadez, in Niger, en route to Europe, grew significantly, fuelling a migration boom in the city (Tinti, 2024). Some have travelled via Mali or the Ivory Coast to Burkina Faso and onward to Niamey and Agadez in Niger, before crossing the desert to reach Libya. Others go to Mali and continue directly to Niger, Algeria or Morocco (Helene, 2023). Most of the migrants are believed to travel through the capital city, Bamako, to the strategically located town of Gao and Benena border, before heading towards Algeria, Niger or Libya, and finally reach Europe for some of them. Gao is an important transit point and is often preferred by many irregular migrants due to the relatively easy access of its routes to the Mediterranean (UNHCR, 2018). This is also the case for refugees who are internally displaced or who flee to neighbouring African countries. Despite aspirations to migrate internationally, very few make concrete plans to do so (Ida et al., 2021). Those who attempt to reach Europe use one of two main routes: the Central Mediterranean Route (CMR), mainly from Tunisia and Libya across the sea to Italy and Malta; and the Western Mediterranean Route (WMR) to Spain, either entering overland by jumping the tall barbed-wire fences into the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa, or by sea from the shores of Morocco (OCHA, 2018). This has caused a lot of casualties According to report, there are several cases of shipwrecks claiming lives yearly as a result of the illegal migration happening along the deadly route without careful risk assessments, caution and safety measure properly carried out. Thousands of migrants on their way to Italy from North Africa are declared dead or missing at sea each year, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). These deaths are likely dramatically underreported due to the clandestine nature of human smuggling (ANSA, 2024).
The journey across the harsh Sahelian desert is fraught with dangers beyond the risk of death. Migrants face a multitude of violations, including extortion, kidnapping, physical and sexual abuse, forced returns, and arbitrary detention. Compounding these challenges is the lack of access to basic necessities such as food, water, and healthcare, leaving migrants in a constant struggle for survival amid these dire conditions. Migrants detained in transit often endure inhumane and overcrowded conditions, marked by severe human rights violations. Torture, death, exploitative forced labour, and sexual violence have become routine experiences for many migrants, particularly in Libya (Diana, 2020).
The Place of Education
Education is considered one of several indicators (e.g., socioeconomic status, sex/gender, ethnicity, age, occupation, family structure) that affect people’s social vulnerability (Cutter, Mitchell and Scott, 2010). (Erich and Elke, (2015) revealed that education is the single most important social and economic factor associated with a reduction in vulnerability to natural disasters. The impact of education on development is profound since education plays a transformative role in the lives of poor people by providing them with skills, independence and confidence (Amuakwa-Mensah, Boakye-Yiadom and Baah-Boateng, 2016). Formal education plays an important role in reducing vulnerability to environmental stress because people with a higher level of education are usually less dependent on environmentally sensitive economic activities such as farming.
At the societal level, it is found that better educated society enjoys greater economic growth. A high standard of education for individuals, both men and women, is assumed not only to present greater opportunities for employment in the formal sector, but also to enhance their (autonomous) mobility, locally and internationally, so that they exhibit a higher propensity for migration (Hanushek and Woessmann, 2007). Van Der Land and Hummel, (2013) confirmed that the rate of illiteracy is very high which falls on (69%), and only 24% have obtained formal education in West Africa. Significantly, this has proven that education has not become a popular idea within some West Africans.
It is established that education in West Africa is below standard, affecting various aspects of life, including border operations. This lack of education has contributed to the misuse of borders, as many individuals cross without proper knowledge of border regulations or the necessary documentation. As a result, low educational standards have played a significant role in the rise of irregular migration, with many West Africans seeking better opportunities abroad. The solutions to this issue will be addressed in the recommendation section.
What is next for the West African Border Users?
Migration has become a way of life in West Africa, with numerous border users, including those who are properly documented and those seeking alternative, unauthorized routes to reach their destinations. While it may not be feasible to entirely stop migration, it remains the right of citizens to travel to their country of choice, often driven by push or pull factors. To address the challenges associated with border migration, a collaborative effort is required from both governments and citizens to optimize the process and outcomes.
Governments must fulfil their promises to provide a better standard of living, ensuring that basic social amenities and infrastructure are adequately available to the population. This serves two critical purposes: it assures citizens of a comfortable lifestyle and fosters a sense of belonging within their community and country, reducing the desire for unnecessary migration. When individuals see their homeland as a place of opportunity and stability, the motivation to leave for another country reduces if not completely diminishes (Heaven, 2010). Push factors like adverse climatic conditions, wars, conflicts, and poor governance often drive people to leave. Failed governance, in particular, has led many to their untimely death, poverty, and other hardships that people seek to escape. Addressing these issues at their root is key to reducing migration crisis and the strong intention to migrate illegally.
On the other hand, border users must be educated about their destination and the importance of proper documentation. Having the right papers not only allows them to migrate legally but also upholds their dignity and the image of their home country in the destination country. Proper documentation ensures that the receiving country can make adequate provisions for its population, including necessary infrastructure and services, and fosters mutual respect between nations.
Ultimately, both citizens and governments have significant roles to play. Citizens must understand the legal processes and requirements for migration, while governments need to create an environment that reduces the strong desire to relocate by addressing the push factors. Migration cannot be entirely stopped, but it can be better managed and controlled. With these measures in place, the number of illegal migrants can be significantly reduced, as people become more content with the opportunities and quality of life provided by their home countries (Heaven, 2010).
To sum it up, it is crucial for Africans to change their perspectives and mindset regarding traveling or relocating abroad. Relocation should not be seen as a marker of social status, and this mentality must shift. The notion that relocating abroad automatically elevates one’s social standing creates unnecessary pressure on others to leave their home countries by any means, often overlooking the challenges and dangers of such decisions. This perspective not only undermines the value of contributing to one’s own country but also perpetuates a sense of inferiority. Instead, people should focus on the importance of staying back to build and develop their nations, ensuring they can stand tall among the global community of states. The narrative must change. Africans should view relocation in a more balanced light, free from the association with social ranking. Eradicating this inferiority complex is essential for fostering a collective effort toward national progress and self-reliance
Recommendations
Having elucidated the significance of migration for West Africans, the perspectives of border users, and the impact of education on border crossing, as well as the unfavourable assessment of West Africans regarding their exposure and educational attainment, this essay presents several recommendations aimed at mitigating the factors contributing to illegal migration, emphasising the potential benefits of education.
Set up Border Community Education Programs: ECOWAS in its capacity should set up education program teaching the border users on the effects of illicit use of borders, illicit use of drugs, drugs trafficking and human trafficking among others
Cross Border Education in the School Curricular: Schools both in border areas and outside the border towns must incorporate cross-border education into their curricula to enhance awareness among youth regarding the consequences of border violations and the advantages of compliance with legislation, and the implications of illegal travelling.
Leverage Media and Technology: Government should put proper plan in place to use the media in propagating the side effect of illegal travelling and making sure that this go wide enough for everyone’s reference and this will teach and by implication increase awareness on the proper use of the border for proper migration with the right and the proper documentations.
Encouraging the Growth of NGOS: Regional and international NGOs should collaborate with governments to provide educational resources, organize workshops, and carry out awareness campaigns for border users. Creating posters, billboards and other traditional means of reaching out to people to snub any form of illegal activities around the border town.
Capacity Building for Border Officials: Training border officials to serve as educators and facilitators in creating awareness among border users can bridge the knowledge gap. Officials should focus on educating rather than penalizing first-time offenders.
Community Engagement and Sensitization: Regular town hall meetings in border communities should be organized to address misconceptions and provide information about the significance of borders and proper crossing practices.
Parting away with the colonial legacy of Division: Africans within the African Union should remove every form of visa restrictions within their countries and firstly encourage integration within the continent, just as the European nations having to move withing the Schengen area without any visa bottleneck challenge. This integration should be encouraged and coordinated such that it is not abused and make sure that the aim of integration in all aspect is achieved. This will potentially reduce the longing to travel illegally outside the continent.
REFERENCES
Adepoju, A. (1991) ‘South-North Migration: The African Experience’, International Migration, 29(2), pp. 205–221. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2435.1991.tb01015.x.
Adepoju, A. (2003) ‘Migration in West Africa’, Development, 46(3), pp. 37–41. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/10116370030463006.
Amuakwa-Mensah, F., Boakye-Yiadom, L. and Baah-Boateng, W. (2016) ‘Effect of education on migration decisions in Ghana: a rural-urban perspective’, Journal of Economic Studies, 43(2), pp. 336–356. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1108/JES-09-2013-0138.
ANSA (2024) Over two thirds of all migrants who die in transit are unidentified, InfoMigrants. Available at: https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/56103/iom-over-two-thirds-of-all-migrants-who-die-in-transit-are-unidentified (Accessed: 25 January 2025).
Charizze, A. (2023) Why is education important and how does it affect one’s future?, World Vision. Available at: http://www.worldvision.ca/stories/education/why-is-education-important (Accessed: 10 January 2025).
Cutter, S., Mitchell, J. and Scott, M. (2010) ‘Revealing the Vulnerability of People and Places: A Case Study of Georgetown County, South Carolina: Annals of the Association of American Geographers: Vol 90, No 4’, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 90(4). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/0004-5608.00219.
Diana, E. (2020) Libya: New evidence shows refugees and migrants trapped in horrific cycle of abuses, Amnesty International. Available at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2020/09/libya-new-evidence-shows-refugees-and-migrants-trapped-in-horrific-cycle-of-abuses/ (Accessed: 25 January 2025).
Emma, W. (2020) Spain steps up measures in Senegal to deter illegal migration, InfoMigrants. Available at: https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/28690/spain-steps-up-measures-in-senegal-to-deter-illegal-migration (Accessed: 25 January 2025).
Erich, S. and Elke, L. (2015) ‘Future differential vulnerability to natural disasters by level of education’. Vienna Yearbook of Population Research. Available at: https://ideas.repec.org/a/vid/yearbk/v13y2015i1p221-240.html.
Heaven, C. (2010) Chance or choice? Understanding why asylum seekers come to the UK. United Kingdom: Swansea University.
Helene (2023) ‘Migrants’ stories from Mauritania’, British Red Cross. Available at: https://www.redcross.org.uk/stories/migration-and-displacement/refugees-and-asylum-seekers/desperate-journeys (Accessed: 23 January 2025).
Hanushek, E.A. and Woessmann, L. (2007) ‘The Role of Education Quality for Economic Growth’. Rochester, NY: Social Science Research Network. Available at: https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=960379 (Accessed: 2 February 2025).
International Organization for Migration (2020) Migration Governance and Regional Cooperation Top Priority, News Global. Available at: https://www.iom.int/news/migration-governance-and-regional-cooperation-top-priorities-iom-chief-visits-cote-divoire (Accessed: 16 January 2025).
Kirwin, M. and Anderson, J. (2018) Identifying the Factors Driving West African Migration. 17. Paris: Sahel Research Group. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/identifying-the-factors-driving-west-african-migration_eb3b2806-en.html (Accessed: 16 January 2025).
OCHA (2018) The central Mediterranean route: the deadliest migration route, Reliefweb. Available at: https://reliefweb.int/report/world/central-mediterranean-route-deadliest-migration-route-infocus-2-march-2018 (Accessed: 25 January 2025).
Teye, J.K. (2022) ‘Migration in West Africa: An Introduction’, in J.K. Teye (ed.) Migration in West Africa: IMISCOE Regional Reader. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 3–17. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97322-3_1.
Tinti, P. (2024) Tackling the Niger–Libya migration route, Chatham House. Available at: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2024/07/tackling-niger-libya-migration-route/03-repercussions-criminalization (Accessed: 23 January 2025).
UNDESA (2018) International Migration Report 2017. ST/ESA/SER.A/403. USA: Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Available at: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/publications/migrationreport/docs/MigrationReport2017.pdf.
UNHCR (2018) ‘Refugees and migrants arriving in Europe and at Europe’s borders’, DESPERATE JOURNEYS. Available at: https://www.unhcr.org/desperatejourneys/ (Accessed: 23 January 2025).
Van Der Land, V. and Hummel, D. (2013) ‘Vulnerability and the Role of Education in Environmentally Induced Migration in Mali and Senegal’, Ecology and Society, 18(4). Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-05830-180414.
Leave a Reply