African Development Bank Group Senior Vice President Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade met with Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to discuss closer collaboration between the two organizations on migration and development across Africa.

The meeting, held at the Bank Group’s headquarters in Abidjan, featured exploratory talks on the possibility of a formal partnership building on earlier successful collaborations, including joint production of a 2023 report on migration and development in Africa.

The IOM delegation also included Sylvia Lopez-Ekra, IOM Regional Director for West and Central Africa; David Preux, IOM Chief of Mission, Côte d’Ivoire; and Bawele Tchalim, Regional Desk Officer.

In addition to the senior vice president, the African Development Bank Group was represented by Catherine Baumont-Keita, Director, Office of the Senior Vice President and Management Operations; Director and Special Advisor in the Office of the President Gauthier Bourlard, Oscar Pitti Rivera, Lead Operations Advisor; and other staff members.

The Bank Group’s Senior Vice President praised its relationship with the United Nations agency. “We already have a rich and productive relationship with IOM,” she said.

“As we discuss a potential formal agreement, we aim to be more targeted and concrete in our approach, fully using our combined strengths to show that well-managed migration can benefit everyone involved.”
Director General Pope

“Our goal in working more closely with the African Development Bank is to move beyond just responding to migration,” said Director General Pope. “We want to work together to ensure people can move safely and with dignity, allowing them to be part of their own development solution and their country’s progress.”

Growing Impacts From Climate Change

The potential for closer collaboration comes as African countries face growing impacts from climate change and fast-increasing youth populations, both of which are likely to shape migration trends. Migration along the Atlantic route, for example, has increased by 150% over the past few years, said Regional Director Lopez-Ekra.

Combining IOM’s expertise in migration with the Bank Group’s ability to mobilise financing and resources, would position the financial institution to tackle these interlinked challenges more effectively.

“We finance many projects in infrastructure and regional integration. IOM’s perspective helps us create projects that achieve even more than they would without this collaboration,” Akin-Olugbade said.

The discussions also touched on the need to factor in climate change as a key driver of migration when planning projects. The two leaders also addressed the benefits and drawbacks associated with the migration of skilled workers in search of opportunity.

There was consensus between Senior Vice President Akin-Olugbade and Director General Pope that closer collaboration should centre on the sharing of knowledge and data, conducting joint policy research, and designing projects that address the root causes of migration, particularly climate change and inadequate job creation.

The meeting was part of an official visit to Cote d’Ivoire by the IOM Director General that included meetings with government officials and development partners.