“EU-Africa Migration Conundrum in a Changing Global Order”, 3-5 September 2018
At the beginning of September, from the 3rd to the 5th, the Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation hosted a two day workshop and one day conference that focused on migration and human mobility with Africa and the European Union, and between the two regions. The event was hosted by GovInn Director, Dr Chris Nshimbi, and enjoyed input from a number of academics, practitioners and students, focused on the trends, impacts and future of migration in and between these regions.
Below are some pictures from the three days of engagement and dialogue.
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- Sergio Carciotto speaking at the conference, pictured with Professor Babtunde Fagbiyibo and Reverend Paul Verryn
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- Anna Knoll, Caroline Njuki and Babatunde Fagbayibo participating in a panel at the conference
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- Caroline Njuki presenting during her panel with Anna Knoll, Reverend Paul Verryn, Professor Babatunde Fagbayibo and Sergio Carciotto
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- Professor Jussi Laine delivering the keynote at the conference
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- Roundtable on day 1 of the workshop
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- Anna Knoll presenting during her panel with Caroline Njuki, Reverend Paul Verryn, Professor Babatunde Fagbayibo and Sergio Carciotto
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- Professors Jussi Laine and Innocent Moyo
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- Reverend Paul Verryn presenting at the conference
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- Caroline Njuki speaking to participants during the workshop
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- Dr Chris Nshimbi speaking on day 1 of the workshop
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- Roundtable on day 1 of the workshop
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- Rountable on day 2 of the workshop
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- Professor Yolanda Spies presenting on day 1 of the workshop
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- Dr Esther Makhetha speaking on day 2 of the workshop
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- Reverend Paul Verryn speaking during his panel with Anna Knoll, Caroline Njuki, Professor Babatunde Fagbayibo and Sergio Carciotto
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- Rountable on day 2 of the workshop
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- Question presented to the panel by Professor Daniel Tevera during the conference
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- Rountable on Day 1 of Workshop
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- Professor Jussi Laine delivering the keynote at the conference
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- Keynote address by Professor Samuel Oloruntoba during the conference
This paper examines the contribution of networks of cross-border grassroots non-State actors to regional integration. It uses three assumptions to determine whether sub-regional schemes augment regional integration: (a) networks of grassroots non-State actors connect communities that share common backgrounds, histories and cultures; (b) interactions in the networks generate a trust that stabilizes them and contributes to network efficiency; and (c) where these networks straddle State boundaries, they integrate the economies that host the communities of actors in the networks and thus enhance integration. The paper achieves its objective by illustrating these assumptions in the context of sub-regional integration in Southeast Asia and Southern Africa. A thorough review of the literature on regional and sub-regional integration, borderland studies, etc. is conducted along with the use of social capital and historical, socioeconomic and political accounts to illustrate the role of informal networks in integration. Because networks, norms and trust dominate conceptual discussion of social capital (Schuller, T., S. Baron, and J. Field. 2000. Social capital: A review and critique. In Social capital: Critical perspectives, eds. S. Baron, J. Field, and T. Schuller, 1–38. Oxford: Oxford University Press.), the paper conceptualizes the terms in the context of social capital. Participant observations, face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions conducted during extensive fieldwork between September 2013 and November 2014 at selected border posts, in the major border towns of the adjacent provinces of the ZMM-GT, in markets and villages in the contiguous border areas of the growth triangle also provide the primary data employed in the analysis. Sub-regional initiatives contribute to development, as does macro-regionalism. Unlike Southeast Asians, people in southern Africa are primarily driven by the need for survival and operate less on ethnic lines. However, a clear demonstration of social capital and cohesion is evident here. Leaders in Africa should encourage cross-border ethnic and kinship ties rather than abuse ethnicity for political gain.
