African Migration, Human Capital, and Development: The Strategic Role of BRICS
AFRICAN MIGRATION, HUMAN CAPITAL, AND DEVELOPMENT: STRATEGIC ROLE OF BRICS
Jessica Martínez Cruz[1]
Migration is a common phenomenon for humanity. Since Homo sapiens left the Eastern part of the African continent more than 70 000 years ago, migration processes have been getting more and more complex and multilevel. In recent years, there has been an increase in migration flows: according to estimates of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), at present, approximately 281 million people live outside their native countries. This index is in stark contrast with 128 million of migrants in 1990 (data as of 2024), which suggests increased scale of human mobility. Even during such unstable periods as COVID-19 pandemic that affected the entire world, migration processes didn’t stop. People kept on relocating in search of better life and running away fr om violence or consequences of climate changes negatively affecting their native countries.
Against this background, African migration particularly stands out, as it became one of the most dynamic and transformative phenomena of recent decades. Although most of the relocations take place within the continent, in recent years, there has been a rise in the number of African migrants coming to America. This changes the previously established trends when the main regions for shifting were mostly Europe and Asia.
Under conditions of global interconnectedness and strengthening of the role of the Global South countries, members of extended BRICS+ (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and allies) may play the key role in the development of strategies aimed at the use of the potential of migration in general and African migration flows in particular to stimulate global economic growth. Thus, the essay discusses modern challenges associated with African migration, as well as its economic and social consequences. Besides, possible solutions are suggested that are aimed at transformation of migration into a positive development force, especially under the guidance of BRICS countries.
Overview of African migration. Reasons and trends
Africa, the cradle of humankind, has been an arena for migration processes throughout the history. However, at present, this dynamics became more complex and multifaceted. African migration covers enormous amount of people annually leaving their place of residence mostly within the continent. According to IOM, approximately 40 million of Africans live outside their native regions. Most of them (approximately 21 million) moved to other African countries while approximately 19.5 million live in other parts of the world (2024).
Against this background, it becomes clear that African migration reflects the global trend wh ere migration flows have increased significantly, which results fr om multiple factors, such as economic crises, political instability, internal conflicts, as well as recently added consequences of the climate change that are observed in such regions as Sahel and the Horn of Africa.
South Africa is the main country of relocation in Africa with the population of approximately 2.9 million of international migrants. It is followed by Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Seychelles, and others (IOM, 2024). Besides, there are approximately 30 million refugees, internally displaced persons, and asylum seekers residing on the African continent, which, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, makes up a third of the world’s refugees (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2025).
In this situation, Europe, North America, and Asia can be called the most attractive regions for African migration, mostly due to the fact that they offer opportunity of employment, for example, in the service sector, construction or agriculture. Besides, many young people from Africa migrate to study at prestigious universities of China, India, and Europe. On the other hand, family reunification is an important factor for relocation, especially in such countries as France and even US. This becomes obvious in such regions as Canary Islands wh ere the number of migrants arriving from Senegal, Mauritania, Morocco, and other countries has been increasing since 2005. They are mainly looking for an opportunity to improve quality of their life through better paying jobs and even try to start the asylum process in order to reunite with their families in France later on.
Against this background, Mexico also stands out as a transit country for African migrants aiming to reach US. Since 2016, there has been a significant increase in the number of migrants and asylum seekers arriving from Africa, especially from Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Guinea, Sudan, Senegal, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Angola. To illustrate the above, according to the data on migration policy of the government of Mexico, in 2024, they registered 43,332 people who arrived from the African continent with an unsettled status, of whom 8,097 were from Guinea, 7,867 – from Senegal, 6,385 – from Mauritania, 3,522 – from Angola, and 3,149 – from Ghana. This is the most representative data, as opposed to 2016, when migration authorities were addressed by 3,910 African migrants, of whom only 267 were Guineans, 358 Senegalese, and the majority of migrants arrived from the Democratic Republic of Congo, i. e. 1,009 people (Directorate of migration policy, 2024).
In this situation, the contribution of African migrants to the economies of the hosting countries is significant, and they play an important role in such sectors as agriculture in Spain, construction in Germany, and entrepreneurship in France, thus, stimulating the economy. Besides, money transfers by migrants constitute an important source of income for many African countries, which promotes local development of the native communities.
However, African migrants are facing serious obstacles, especially xenophobia and discrimination, as well as the risk of working in the informal sector, which deprives them of the opportunity to get better wages and protection from legal violations, abuse, and exploitation of labor. Thus, BRICS is crucial in terms of guiding global initiatives aimed at migrants’ integration in the economy of hosting countries, especially African migrants.
In this connection, countries, such as India that is an example of innovations and technological development and plays an important role in migration process being one of the world’s largest recipients of money transfers, have significant experience in search for solutions via cooperation. India could introduce measures to promote safe migration, as well as develop programs aimed at the exchange of knowledge and skills between African migrants and Indian experts.
People’s Republic of China with its strong diplomatic, economic, and commercial presence in Africa due to investments in infrastructure can create job opportunities for African migrants within the continent and legally integrate them into economy of the hosting African countries, which would promote local development.
Brazil with its rich experience in cooperation and liaisons with African countries could use its cultural heritage to create synergies and strengthen cultural and educational liaisons with Africa. For example, by offering scholarships in such areas as agriculture, ecology, biofuels, and technical training programs similar to that offered by National Service for Industrial Training (SENAI) in order to support professional training, innovations, and transfer of industrial technology. As Brazil is a cultural center and has vast experience in migrant integration, it could share the best practices of combating xenophobia and promoting social integration of migrants with African countries hosting migrants, first at the national level, and then expanding this experience to the regional and international levels. This would promote development of more open and humane migration policy.
South Africa, in its turn, being the leader on the continent and having significant diplomatic influence in the international arena, may head the efforts aimed at the management of intra-African migration and promote regional integration. Besides, it may share its experience of the main country hosting intra-African migration and playing the key role in management of African migration as a factor supporting their development. Based on its leadership in the African Union and BRICS cooperation blocks, it could promote migration policy that is aimed at economic integration of migrants and create programs for professional and technical training in such highly demanded sectors as mining, services, and construction, as well as promote development of entrepreneurship, which would contribute to the local economy.
Finally, the Russian Federation having vast experience in such industries as nuclear energy, mining, oil and gas, and defense could offer migrants training programs in these areas which would enable development of important skills and abilities to implement the same in their native countries. Besides, Russia has vast experience in agriculture. Several African countries, especially in East Africa, base their economy on this sector, thus transfer of experience in improvement of agricultural productivity, in particular, under extreme climatic conditions, would promote decrease in migration due to economic reasons, creation of job opportunities at the local level, and reduction in food security problems.
Besides, Moscow could use its broad presence and influence at global forums in order to support more fair migration policy, in which migrant workers would have decent working conditions, access to social protection, education, and inclusion in the economic life of the hosting countries, which would support development of these countries.
To summarize, migration in itself is a complex phenomenon that poses significant challenges, but also offers unique opportunities for economic and human development. In this context, BRICS with its influence, experience, and resources has an opportunity and is able to head global initiatives to transform migration into a positive force for growth of the economies, which would destroy negative stereotypes associated with migration. Thus, through investments in human capital, protection of labor rights, and international cooperation headed by the Global South countries (primarily under the leadership of BRICS) it is possible to create the future in which migration in general and African migration in particular would benefit the development of the hosting communities and native countries of migrants.
References
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2025). Africa. https://www.acnur.org/mx/acnur/donde-trabajamos/africa
International Organization for Migration (2024). Report on global migration for 2024. https://worldmigrationreport..int/msite/wmr-2024-interactive/?lang=ES
International Organization for Migration (2024). Migration and migrants. Regional context and changes. https://worldmigrationreport..int/what-we-do/world-migration-report-2024-chapter-3/africa
Directorate of migration policy (2016). Annual Bulletin of Migration Statistics for 2016. http://www.politicamigratoria.gob.mx/es/PoliticaMigratoria/CuadrosBOLETIN?Anual=2016
Directorate of migration policy (2024). Annual Bulletin of Migration Statistics for 2024. http://www.politicamigratoria.gob.mx/es/PoliticaMigratoria/Boletines_Estadisticos
[1] Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, Master of Education, and Doctor of Medical Sciences. Currently teaching at the Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla, as well as Anahuac University of Puebla in Mexico. / jessica.martinezcruz@correo.buap.mx / orcid.org/0000-0003-2106-9907
