>> DIRECTOR’S EDITORIAL
January 2009 – Nº 1
The Sahel and West Africa Club’s monthly newsletter provides regular information on ongoing SWAC SWAC Director, activities, publications and events. Mr. Normand Lauzon
CONTENT Why not announce good news at the beginning of the year? . A New SWAC President: Mr. de Donnea The regional dimension of aid is being included in the peer The Regional Dimension within the reviews of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC). This is only a first step. We will continue to urge the DAC’s Peer Review international community to do more for regional co- K2M: Cross-border Co-operation operation. In these troubled times, it is vital to help developing countries to act together and strengthen their regional blocs.
PUBLICATIONS Africa, just like the rest of the world, is entering 2009 amidst great incertitude. Ever since last October, there have been Climate Change in West Africa, new forecasts each week; the word “forecast” seems to SWAC Briefing Note, No. 3 have lost its meaning. The IMF announced very weak global growth (+0.5%), the lowest forecast since 1945. The theory RPCA Policy Note that the recession in the North would have little effect on Emersion in the Karakoro Basin, the South’s growth has proven untrue. Worried looks are Cross-border Diaries, No. 10 now turning towards Asia and Latin America where growth rates could be less than those of 2008.
West Africa will indeed have to deal with a drop in global EVENTS demand for its export products (gas, bauxite, iron and cotton as well as cocoa, coffee, tropical fruits and wood. ECOWAS Workshop on Conflict Systems Gold could be the exception). The European and American ECOWAS Workshop on Security Sector recessions could lead to a reduction in tourism and emigrant remittances. Transport and ports could also see a Reform decrease in their activities. Many large investments could be postponed due to the credit crunch and increased uncertainty. Employment and income (formal and informal) INTERVIEW as well as state budgets shall also suffer. On the other hand, gas will undoubtedly be less expensive for consumers. We Niger: Land of Transit can also hope for relative respite from the rise in food product prices, but to what extent? All these components put together (as well as many others) will have an impact on societies and political changes. They will also have an effect on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) between West Africa and the European Union which are supposed to be signed in June.
Faced with these uncertainties, the SWAC Secretariat is setting up a monitoring system. We will disseminate a quarterly analysis of the major political, economic and social trends occurring in the region within the international context. We will also continue to carry out structural analyse to promote regional action, notably in the field of food security, livestock rearing and resources for development as well as cross-border co-operation, migration, youth (combating child labour on cocoa plantations), conflict and governance.
Our new President, Mr. François Xavier de Donnea, will join us for this challenging year.
A NEW SWAC PRESIDENT
The Sahel and West Africa Club welcomes its new President, Mr. François-Xavier de Donnea. He was nominated by the Mr. de Donnea SWAC's Strategy and Policy Group (SPG) and will take up Belgium Minister of State and his new functions for a three-year period. Member of the Belgian House of Representatives SWAC Director Mr. Normand Lauzon met with Mr. de Donnea in Brussels to present the SWAC and its upcoming work priorities. They agreed that Mr. de Donnea will come to Paris in February to meet with Mr. Mario Amano, OECD Deputy Secretary-General responsible for the co-ordination of the OECD Development Cluster and Mr. Eric Burgeat, Director of the OECD Centre for Co-operation with Non-Members. Mr. de Donnea also suggested organising an information meeting with West African Ambassadors in Brussels. >> visit Mr. de Donnea’s website: www.dedonnea.irisnet.be
K2M: CROSS-BORDER CO-OPERATION
The SWAC Secretariat provided support to the governments of Niger and Nigeria for the preparation of two feasibility studies on the implementation of a two-year cross-border co-operation programme in the Kano-Katsina- Maradi (K2M) area: 1) K2M Initiative Programme Phase 1, aiming to improve food security and cross-border trade in cereals and livestock, and 2) K2M Programme on the Setting-up of a Cross-border Radio Station Network. The two cross-border co-operation programmes shall be implemented under the auspices of the Niger-Nigeria Joint Commission for Co-operation. The SWAC Secretariat will continue to provide technical support: it will notably facilitate fundraising; participate in the programme’s Steering Committee and help building networks to foster exchanges between K2M programme stakeholders and other operational and institutional actors of the sub-region.
The "Haussa country" extends over 83 000 km2 and includes more than 50 million inhabitants, astride Nigeria and Niger. The towns of Maradi (Niger) Katsina-Kano (Nigeria) constitute one of the oldest development corridors, for centuries open to the Gulf of Guinea, North Africa and the Middle East. With a dense urban network organised around the built-up area of Kano, it illustrates the Niger economy’s polarisation by Nigeria all along the 1500 km border. Favorable to industrialization, its development relies on the cultural homogeneity of the haussa people. Commerical trade is robust: cattle from Niger, cereal and manufactured products from Nigeria or even products re-exported towards Nigeria through Cotonou, and the border hub of Malanville-Gaya.
THE REGIONAL DIMENSION WITHIN THE DAC PEER REVIEW
In response to the SWAC’s Strategy and Policy Group (SPG) member’s request, the SWAC Secretariat had proposed incorporating regional co-operation into the DAC’s Peer Review Programme by adding new questions to the “DAC Peer Review Content Guide”. This Guide has now been revised taking into account the SWAC’s set of questions. Austria, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland will undergo peer review in 2009 using this revised questionnaire. In addition, the SWAC Secretariat will conduct a regional aid mapping study on West Africa. Outcomes could feed into more general strategic thinking on regional aid effectiveness. >> learn more: www.oecd.org/dac/peerreviews
REGIONALLY-FOCUSED QUESTIONS
CHAPTER 1: Strategic Orientations
“Headquarter issues”
Does the agency address the regional development dimension when designing a bilateral programme and, if so, how? Is regional co-operation seen as a means to provide regional aid complementary to an aid programme focused on a small number of countries? Are there co-ordination mechanisms between units working on countries in the same region at headquarters level? Are there specific policies focused on building regional capacities and strengthening regional organisations?
“Field-level issues”
Are embassies within the region used to encourage and promote regional co-operation in response to shared challenges in areas such as the political, economic, environmental, trade, migration and security realms? If so, how? Are horizontal linkages across embassies within the region used to promote regional integration and/or to prevent regional conflicts and, if so, how? At a bilateral level, what are the challenges in implementing regional programmes/projects? To what extent does the country office support and/or work through regional organisations?
CHAPTER 4: Management
How is the programming process organised? How are partner country policies and strategies reflected in regional programmes? How does headquarters expect country programmes to take account of partner country policies and strategies?
CHAPTER 5: Aid Effectiveness
“Field-level issues”: Alignment
To what extent does it harmonise approaches with other donors when national systems do not meet mutually agreed levels of performance or are not used? How, and by what means, does the donor promote the use of local and regional procurement?
CHAPTER 6: Special Issues
“Field-level issues”
What approaches to capacity development does the country office use (e.g. technical co-operation, training, South-South or triangular co-operation) and how does it support capacity development through its programmes? What is the role and cost of foreign technical assistance in building institutional and human capacities in the partner country? How is technical co-operation designed and managed and to what extent is the provision of technical assistance by local and regional sources promoted? Have attempts been made to work with local consultants and/or local institutions to carry out the capacity development programme, rather than importing expertise? Does support for capacity development engage the private sector and civil society?
Environment and Climate Change
“Headquarter issues”
Is there an overall policy on climate change? Has climate change been included in other crosscutting agency policies for example on sustainable development, disaster risk reduction or policy coherence? To what extent/how has climate change been incorporated into various sectoral policies (energy, transport, agriculture, education, health, credits, etc.)? Is there a requirement to include climate change aspects in regional and national strategies?
NIGER: LAND OF TRANSIT
Mr. Bolouvi is a West African journalist who also works as a consultant >> INTERVIEW for various international organisations, including the SWAC/OECD; he notably contributes since its creation to the SWAC’s Cross-border Diaries with Mr. Guy-Michel BOLOUVI magazine. Mr. Bolouvi is also involved in the ECOWAS Cross-border West African Journalist Initiatives Programme and in research carried out in Niger in March 2008 on “Migration and Development Organisations in Niger” within the framework of a European programme to combat clandestine migration. This interview is an extract of the SWAC’s West African Studies on: “The Regional Stakes of West African Migration: European and African Perspectives” >> forthcoming: February 2009
Receiving less media attention than departures from the coast in boats, migration networks are becoming stronger in Niger. Why do you think this is?
It is mainly for geographical reasons. Niger covers a vast area of 1,267,000 km2, leading in the North to Libya and Algeria as destination countries, and with entry points through Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso and Mali. This huge expanse, which would require massive border monitoring resources, also catches those sent back from Libya and Algeria, the number of which is growing as legal agreements are strengthened and harsher measures are taken at the gateways into Europe.
Despite the scope of migratory flows transiting through Niger, whether seeking Eldorado or turned away elsewhere, the phenomenon still scarcely generates any concern. “Travelling is not a crime”, and in this regard, Niger implements and complies with the ECOWAS provision in favour of the free movement of its nationals within the ECOWAS member countries. Niger has for a long time been a gateway for migrants heading for Maghreb countries, and now for Europe. *…+
The migratory dynamic commonly described as “clandestine” which is now expanding via Niger is forming a cluster around new stopover points and a certain amount of settling. These fluctuating migrations are difficult to assess. However, two constant factors emerge, i.e. the scant attention paid by Niger to migration, and the long-standing persistence of its transit function, as migrants head either a) into Libya, staying there or moving on to Italy or Algeria, or b) directly into Algeria and then to Morocco to melt away into connections to Spain and France. Migrants have assembly points for the desert crossing, which are, in order of importance, Agadez, Arlit and Dirkou, towns of various sizes, on the edge of the desert in the case of Agadez, in the desert proper for Arlit on the route for Algeria, and Dirkou for those heading to either Algeria or Libya. Niger has consequently become a transit area for West & Central African migrants. *…+
How did Agadez become a stopover on the migrants’ route?
Agadez, a historic town from the great days of caravaneers, is still making a mark in its role as a strategic stopover between the South and the North. It has a dual appeal; firstly, its bus station allows migrants who arrive there with the money needed for the remainder of the trip to continue with few stopovers; secondly, it is a very hospitable town for those who need to rest or to try to earn money for the remainder of the trip. The existence of these two aspects and of well-structured migration networks has made Agadez a quintessential “transit” town. Migrants who are stuck or in transit find themselves selling motorbike spare parts or doing shoe repair, “mobile” clothes alteration, painting, brickwork, etc. As crossing the border becomes harder, more lucrative activities such as drug trafficking, pimping and prostitution are increasing.
Entry Portal to Agadez
Agadez, which has become a decentralised “urban district”, now offers sufficient security to migrants offering services conducive to “transit”: induction, accommodation and escorted travel. As soon as they arrive in the town, migrants are taken under the wing of migration professionals, namely “cokseurs” *“coaxers”, i.e. touts+ who find migrants, gain their trust and take them to a “Boss”, an inn-keeper and tour operator rolled into one. This “Boss”, the “Ghetto1” leader, often a hapless migrant who is settling down to take advantage of this “transit” opportunity, offers accommodation and a meal, organises a schedule and roadmap, and behaves like an all-knowing, all-powerful guardian. Once in the ghetto, migrants lose the right to speak out.
Over recent years, North Africa has been playing host to a growing number of sub-Saharan migrants “in transit”, intent on reaching Europe. As the control of European borders is being more externalised and more stringent, “transit” migration is becoming de facto migration and shifting ever further South. With this increasing difficulty in reaching Europe, there is a certain amount of settling down by migrants, temporary to a lesser or greater degree, but sometimes for several years. This has led to the birth, or rebirth, of stopover towns such as Tamanrasset in southern Algeria, Nouadhibou in northern Mauritania, Oujda on Morocco’s border with Algeria, and Gao and Agadez on the edge of the Sahara in Mali and Niger respectively.
Is it possible to outline a profile of migrants choosing the Niger corridor?
There are so many migrants in Agadez that the first question ought to be “How many are there?” before “Who are they?”. It is a complex and dynamic phenomenon. One thing is sure, that these are people tired of their local everyday life, of “a future that never arrives”, and driven by a strong conviction that the grass is greener elsewhere. They are mainly relatively young men and women, able to fund a long and expensive trip, ready to try anything to secure provisions over the course of the journey. Most undertake the trip with the blessing of the family circle which has usually collectively financed it. For the most part, they are relatively well-educated, many being educated up to the age of 18 or beyond and with only a minority being illiterate.
Those attempting the journey to “continue their studies” mingle with those with professional qualifications who intend to “be better renumerated” and the simply adventurous. Underworld networks are growing too, those using migration to smuggle women to Libya and drug traffickers. The majority of “educated” migrants come from neighbouring countries (Nigeria, Ghana, the Gambia. Sierra Leone, Liberia, Senegal, Togo, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire) and Central Africa (Cameroon, Congo, DRC) whereas migrants from Mali and Niger are often illiterate. Nigeriens are a special case in the sense that they are rarely attracted by Europe. Their main destination is Libya and they are called “wanderers”. Nigeriens generally migrate for food reasons, looking to fill the “slack” between the last harvest and the next agricultural season.
It is very difficult to quantify the flow of migrants taking the Niger corridor towards the far North, Libya, Algeria or Europe. An annual figure of about 100,000 sub-Saharans is usually suggested for the period since 2000. Routes via Libya to Italy and via Algeria and Morocco to Spain seem to have accounted for most of the traffic up to now. More effective and better-organised control systems in destination countries mean that more is known about the number of those stopped in North Africa and on the coast of Europe. According to data collected at Agadez station in August 2007 by an NGO which assists migrants in transit, Nigeriens constitute the majority of the migrant population leaving Agadez at 42%, followed by Nigerians (33.5%), Ghanaians (15.32%), Senegalese and Malians (4.6%). The least numerous are Burkinabés, Ivorians, Cameroonians and those from the Central African Republic. Figures from Niger’s DRPN (the national police regional directorate) indicate that 80% of migrants head for Libya and 20% for Algeria. Nonetheless, out of the 80% going to Libya, some, impossible to quantify, move on to Algeria to follow the Algerian and Moroccan routes into Europe. The figures are unreliable but those travelling on the official route show a difference between those entering and leaving, which indicates that the population of migrants “in transit” is significant.
1 The ghetto is where a group of people reside who share the same nationality, ethnicity or language, everything fostering a sense of security in the migrants. Consequently for example in Agadez, Nigerians, Ghanaians and Cameroonians are “handled” by long-established Nigerians. Guineans from Conakry and Bissau, Gambians, Senegalese and Ivorians are handled by a Senegalese. Burkinabés, Malians and Ivorians also share a ghetto.
Which routes are taken by migrants from Niger?
Since the 16th century, Agadez has acted as a crossroads for As regards the Agadez-Dirkou corridor, the routes are as follows:
the movement of people and goods between the North and To the North-East/East (towards Libya): Agadez - South of the African continent. Its geographical position, at Dirkou - Siguedine - Dao Timmi - Madama (border the intersection of major caravan routes linking the post) - Toummo - (Al Katrun - Sabah, in Libya). Mediterranean to trading Hausa lands, is now used by To the North-East/North-West (towards Algeria): migrants and migration networks. Tougher controls at Agadez-Dirkou-Siguedine-Chirfa-Djado-Djanet (Algeria). Europe’s borders make clandestine migration routes longer and more difficult. As regards the Agadez-Arlit corridor, the routes are as follows: The main entry points are:
The Nigeria-Niger border for those coming from To the North-West/North (towards Algeria): Nigeria or Central African countries Agadez - Arlit - Assamakka (border post) – (In The Burkina Faso-Niger border for those coming Guezzam - Tamanrasset in Algeria). This is the from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, official route, consequently the least difficult, but Senegal and Guinea the least used. The Mali-Niger border for those coming from To the North-West/North-East (towards Algeria): Mali via Yassane (Ayoru) in Northern Niger. Agadez - Arlit - Tchingalen - Adrar Bous - Tchibarakaten well - Djanet (Algeria). The latter Niger has 10 official police stations to control these entry route, formerly preferred by clandestine points, i.e. Makalondi (Niger/Burkina Faso), Gaya migrants, is no longer used since the outbreak of (Niger/Benin), Sabon Birni, Birnin Konni, Dan Issa, Dan armed rebellion in the area. Barto, Tinkin (Niger/Nigeria), N’Guigmi (Niger/Chad), Ayorou (Niger/Mali) and Assamakka (Niger/Algeria). With these four “official” routes to the North, one towards Migration routes tend to converge on three key stopovers, Libya and three to Algeria, Agadez is located at a strategic i.e. Agadez, a meeting point for migrants pending stopover point between Southern and Northern Africa. The departure to Algeria or Libya, Dirkou, a mandatory Agadez-Dirkou corridor heading towards the border with waypoint to or from Libya and an indirect gateway into Libya has the heaviest traffic according to smugglers and Algeria, and Arlit, with one official waypoint and one transporters clandestine route for entry into Algeria.
What do you see as Niger’s forthcoming challenges in respect of West African migration?
Migration is currently more of a topic for debate in Europe than in Niger. 3% of West Africa’s population is migrant and over 80% within the region. West Africa has therefore a long tradition of mobility, voluntary or otherwise. Furthermore, in the few statistics we have, migrations lasting less than a year, or of a seasonal, trading or cross-border nature, are not counted. Niger complies with community development as governed by the regional treaties on free movement of people and goods (ECOWAS protocol). Niger’s domestic legislation is different to the awkward and paradoxical situation found in Senegal, where according to its legislation, Senegalese migrants could be arrested and tried within Senegal itself for entering Europe, virtually and fictitiously. There is therefore no clampdown on migration. The country nevertheless finds itself confronting more than one negative trend brought about by tougher controls when leaving by the North and West African borders.
1. The first involves the increased number of migrants stuck or in transit in towns such as Dirkou, Arlit or Agadez. A lucrative trade is growing involving smuggling, and very visibly so, in Agadez, directly linked to the growth in the number of migrants and their settling while they save up the money needed for the remainder of the trip. It should also be known that it is standard practice to pay “entry fees” in stopover towns at police roadblocks and “visitor fees” to local councils.
2. The second trend involves the organisation of the migrant’s route, now handled by a “ghetto”. Migrants are no longer going it alone, but are forced to use a network. This situation has not yet deteriorated to the extent in Morocco where organised trade in migrants has supplanted routes that have always existed. It should not in fact be forgotten that where there is criminality, it is the smuggler and not the migrant committing the crime, in line with the UN Protocol against Smuggling of Migrants.
3. The third trend involves the human dimension to the phenomenon – migrants stuck in stopover towns because they have no more money or dare not return home out of shame; West African deportees from Libya or Algeria taken back to the Niger border irrespective of their nationality and finding themselves with no means of support, at best in Agadez and at worst in the desert. This last point raises a danger of undermining efforts towards community development and regional construction. Up to what point can Niger continue to play host to deportees from countries in the sub-region while observing the protocol on the free movement of people, crucial to West African balance?
PUBLICATIONS
CLIMATE CHANGE IN WEST AFRICA
Sahelian Adaptation Strategies While Africa produces less than 4% of worldwide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, it is considered the world’s most vulnerable region with regard to the effects of climate change due to the fragility of its economies. Like all other regions, West Africa must take-up this challenge – essentially that of vulnerability and uncertainty. In addition to the analysis of the climate change impacts and a presentation of some adaptation strategies developed by agricultural producers in the Sahel, this SWAC Briefing Note presents opportunities and makes recommendations for West African leaders and development partners on how to address West Africa’s climate change challenges. >> www.oecd.org/swac/publications
RPCA POLICY NOTE Conclusions of the 24th Annual RPCA Meeting
The 24th annual Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA) meeting, held in Dakar (Senegal) in November 2008, focused on the market’s role and its importance in the promotion of food security in the Sahel and West Africa. Network members also exchanged on the agricultural, food and nutritional situation for the 2008/09 campaign. This policy note highlights the main conclusions of this meeting as well as lessons learned from the rise of food commodity prices. It outlines recommendations for West African states, development partners and the RPCA network co-ordinators (CILSS, SWAC/OECD) aiming to facilitate decision-making. >> www.food-security.net
EMERSION IN THE KARAKORO BASIN Cross-border Diaries, Issue 10 This issue focuses on the Karakoro basin, situated in the pre-Sahelian zone between Mali and Mauritania. Local border populations and their respective governors are demonstrating a strong commitment to border development. Farming, sedentary and transhumant livestock breeding are the main activities of the populations on both riversides. The Karakoro basin is one of the four pilot initiatives conducted within the ECOWAS Cross-border Co-operation Initiatives Programme (CIP). This issue presents the Karakoro basin settlement programme co-ordinated by the GRDR (Research and Project Implementation Group for Rural Development) natural resources, cross-border issues as well as interviews with local, national and international representatives.
>> www.afriquefrontieres.org
EVENTS
ECOWAS Workshop on Conflict Systems and Risk Assessment in ECOWAS Countries Conakry (Guinea), 16-18 December2008 This workshop focused on the operational process of the ECOWAS Early Warning and Response System (ECOWARN). The ECOWAS Commission and the SWAC Secretariat conduct joint work on risk assessment, the analysis of root causes of conflict and regional crisis prevention. With a view to developing a regional conflict prevention policy, Mr. Massaër Diallo presented his analysis of conflict systems in ECOWAS countries. Conflict Systems in West African, their epicenters and areas of expansion
ECOWAS Workshop on Security Sector Reform
Abuja (Nigeria), 19-21 January 2009
The workshop’s aim was to identify the great challenges related to security sector reform in West Africa. Mr. Massaër Diallo (SWAC) made a presentation on the “Political Environment and the Context of the Reform” (French). He also participated in various meetings: WANSED meeting on its partnership agreement (MoU) with ECOWAS and its 2009/2010 Work Programme; Meeting with ECOWAS Commission President Dr. Mohamed Chambas and the ECOWAS Commissioner in charge of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Colonel Touré, on proposals for action in Guinea-Bissau; Meeting with the Colonel Koné, Director of the Early Warning Programme, to discuss work priorities of the SWAC/ECOWAS joint work on conflict prevention.
FORTHCOMING EVENT
Combating Child Labour on West African Cocoa Plantations
Task Force Meeting, 9 February 2009, OECD/Paris
At the initiative of the Belgium Development Co-operation Directorate, in collaboration with several Development Co-operations Agencies, the SWAC has launched collaborative work on “Child Labour on West African Cocoa Plantations”. Outcomes of the Regional Desk Study (draft) will be presented at this first Task Force meeting which will bring together involved actors (West African governments, interested OECD countries, private sector representatives, West African producer associations, NGOs, etc.).
>> SWAC Newsletter Contact: [email protected]
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