WAI-ZEI PAPER WAI-ZEI Ablam Benjamin Akoutou, Rike Sohn, Matthias Vogl, Daniel Yeboah (eds.) Migration and Civil Society as Development Drivers - a Regional Perspective No. 23 2015 Nana Asantewa Afadzinu is Executive Director of the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) in Accra, Ghana. Ablam Benjamin Akoutou is Project Coordinator at WAI for the WAI-ZEI cooperation project. Mariama Awumbila is Associate Professor at the Department of Geography and Resource Deve- lopment and Centre for Migration Studies, University of Ghana Yaw Benneh is Senior Lecturer at Faculty of Law, and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Migration Studies, University of Ghana. Stefan Fröhlich is Professor of International Politics at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany. Ludger Kühnhardt is Director at the Center for European Integration Studies (ZEI) and Professor of Political Science at Bonn University, Germany. Matthias Lücke is Senior Researcher at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW) and Adjunct Professor at Kiel University, Germany. Olawale I. Maiyegun is Director of the Department of Social Affairs of the African Union Commis- sion in Addis Ababa, Ethopia. Abdarahmane Ngaïde is Associate Researcher at the Pan-African Institute for Strategies (UCAD) in Dakar, Senegal, and teaches at University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar. Rike Sohn is Junior Fellow at ZEI and Project Coordinator for the WAI-ZEI cooperation project. Joseph Kofi Teye is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Geography and Resource Develop- ment, and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Migration Studies, University of Ghana. Djénéba Traoré is Managing Director at the West Africa Institute (WAI) in Praia, Cape Verde. Matthias Vogl is Junior Fellow at ZEI and Project Coordinator for the WAI-ZEI cooperation project. Daniel Yeboah was Project Coordinator at WAI for the WAI-ZEI cooperation project. Content Ludger Kühnhardt e Djénéba Traoré Preface 1 Ablam Benjamin Akoutou, Rike Sohn, Matthias Vogl, Daniel Yeboah Introduction 5 Nana Asantewa Afadzinu The Role of Civil Society in the Process of Regional Integration - The West African Experience 9 Stefan Fröhlich The Role of Civil Society in the Process of Regional Integration - The European Experience 41 Abdarahmane Ngaïde The Influence of Mentalities and Culture in the Formulation of Regional Integration Policies - History and Points for Discussion 55 Joseph Kofi Teye, Mariama Awumbila e Yaw Benneh Intraregional Migration in the ECOWAS Region: Trends and Emerging Challenges 97 Matthias Lücke Remittances: Does Human Capital Follow Financial Capital? - The Development Potential of the West African Diaspora 125 Olawale I. Maiyegun Remittances: How to Activate the Potential of the Diaspora 153 Note: All articles were originally written in English, with the exception of Prof. Ngaïdé‘s paper which was translated from French to English by WAI-ZEI, Praia/Bonn. Ludger Kühnhardt and Djénéba Traoré Ludger Kühnhardt and Djéneba Traoré Preface The 5th WAI-ZEI Conference entitled “Migration and Civil Society as develop- ment drivers within a regional context” sought to provide evidence-based results to support initiatives to mainstream Civil Society Organizations into national and regional migration policy-making processes in West Africa and Europe. The event was organized in the framework of the research and consulting project “Sustainable Regional Integration in West Africa and Europe,” between the West Africa Institute (WAI) in Praia, Cabo Verde, and the Center for European Integration Studies (ZEI) based in Bonn, Germany. The conference provided a platform for academics and policymakers to peer-review research outcomes and also to brainstorm on topical regional issues. Beginning in 2012, the scientific partnership between WAI and ZEI aims at bridging the gap between policy and practice in West Africa through bi-regional academic exchanges. The cooperation is also expected to underline the role of WAI as a West African regional think-tank that provides evidence-based recom- mendations to successfully accelerate the process of regional integration and social transformations in the ECOWAS Region. The partnership, sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) for the period 2012 – 2016, has been identified as a beacon project in the area of Humanities in the framework of the Ministry’s Africa Strategy. Organized in Praia at the Ministry of External Relations (MIREX) of Cabo Verde, the 5th Study Group Meeting of the WAI-ZEI project took place on 8th - 9th September, 2014. Considering the peculiar characteristics of Cabo Verde and recent global events, the selection of the place and the timing of the workshop could not have been more appropriate. Over the years, Cabo Verde has moved from a country of immigrants to a country of emigrants; its economy has depended heavily on remittances from emigrants; and the country’s capital, 1 Preface Praia, boasts of several international organizations and a substantial immigrant population. These factors place migration firmly at the core of the country’s socio-economic policies. As mentioned above, the workshop took place in the wake of several shocking global events that impact migration policies. The global financial crisis led to many European governments blaming their countries’ economic woes on migrants within their territory. Coupled with the “Lampedusa tragedy,” which led to the death of 359 illegal migrants from Africa, the call for more commitment to a more humane European approach to the management of immigration in Europe has received increasing support among academia, policy-makers, as well as ordinary Europeans, who bear the blunt of dwindling economic fortunes in Europe. In West Africa, the Ebola menace has not only led to stigmatization and harass- ment of migrants from West Africa, but also freezing of flights to and from affected countries. This has brought about reduction in inter-regional migration, with grave consequences for regional trade relations. Considering the fact that these issues impact the life of ordinary people, and that the impact goes beyond national and even regional boarders, the importance of a discussion on Civil Society (represented by Non-Governmental Organizations – NGOs) engage- ment in migration issues, from a bi-regional perspective, both for academic research and policy-making, cannot be over-emphasized. The forum hosted renowned experts from both academia and regional integra- tion institutions, mostly from West Africa and Europe, but also from the SADC region. Presentations and subsequent discussions centered on the impact of intra-regional migration on the regional labor market in West Africa, issues relating to the wellbeing of migrants, data deficits, labor markets, regional inte- gration and culture, history of migration and mainstreaming remittances in the development agenda of both sending and receiving countries. The publication is the compilation of research work peer reviewed at the conference. WAI – ZEI collaboration will continue to provide the platform for fruitful academic exchanges that can lead to cross-fertilization of ideas for a sustained develop- ment of regional integration in both West African and Europe. 2 Ludger Kühnhardt and Djénéba Traoré In the hope of an enduring collaboration with the participants, we express our profound appreciation to all who contributed in diverse ways to the realization of the publication. We are convinced that the document will provide useful insights on the state of affairs of migration within the broader context of European and West African regional integration, and show the way forward for a productive civil society engagement in migration issues in the two continents. Prof. Dr. Ludger Kühnhardt Prof. Dr. Djénéba Traoré ZEI Director WAI General Director Bonn/Praia, June 2015 3 4 Ablam Benjamin Akoutou, Rike Sohn, Matthias Vogl and Daniel Yeboah (eds.) Ablam Benjamin Akoutou, Rike Sohn, Matthias Vogl and Daniel Yeboah Introduction The tragedy of Lampedusa and the continuing influx of migrants fleeing the Arab Spring and civil war in Libya and Syria have brought the topic of migration back to the top of the European agenda. Still struggling with increased social inequality and high youth unemployment as a result of the economic and financial crises, European voters seem concerned about losing their job or straining national social systems, leading to waves of xenophobic resentment across the continent. However, these demands for increased border protection and stricter migration policies face a smart and ever-growing lobby of business people arguing in favor of well-managed migration to offset the decline in human resources within Europe’s aging society. Whether the focus be on safeguarding Europe’s economic future or on preventing further tragedies on Europe’s shores, any European migration policy will need to be aligned to other policy areas in order to be effective and synergetic. Understanding migration as a cross-cutting issue, progressively evolving from inequalities between countries, the union will not only need to take a look at internal imbalances but also at inequalities in migrants’ countries of origin, to find innovative strategies and cooperation partners. Looking at the issue from the other side of the Mediterranean puts the media- framed “African exodus” back in perspective, as the influx of (legal and illegal) migrants to Europe is estimated to be only a minor portion of a young and growing African population. In fact, Africans primarily