On 12 August 2025, Alan Hirsch, Head of the Migration Governance Reform in Africa Programme (MIGRA) at the New South Institute (NSI), appeared on Kenya’s KUTV morning segment Biashara Tuesday to discuss trends and policy challenges in migration governance across the African continent. The interview, conducted remotely from the United Kingdom, covered a broad range of institutional, political, and economic aspects shaping mobility in Africa.

Hirsch, also a Research Fellow at NSI, drew extensively on recent findings from NSI’s ongoing series of regional and country reports on migration governance in Africa. These studies examine national identification systems, cross-border movement regimes, and the status of refugees and migrant workers, with a particular focus on East Africa’s emerging frameworks.

In the interview, Hirsch noted that countries such as Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda have made measurable progress toward regional integration, citing the policy shift that allows citizens to travel across borders using national ID cards instead of passports. He emphasized that such arrangements reflect a high degree of trust in the civil registration and identity systems of those states. However, he also observed that integration within the East African Community remains uneven, with countries like Tanzania and Burundi participating more cautiously.

Responding to a question on what constitutes a well-managed migration policy, Hirsch stated that such policies must meet the economic needs of receiving countries while also assuring citizens that migration is regulated and beneficial. He stressed that balancing openness with public confidence is “a very difficult balance to achieve”, a challenge not unique to Africa but present globally.

The conversation also addressed labor mobility. Hirsch distinguished between the relative ease with which skilled professionals can move and work across borders and the informal and often irregular nature of low-skilled migration. He highlighted bilateral models from countries like Canada and Spain that have created seasonal labour schemes with temporary legal protections, though without pathways to permanent residence.

Throughout the discussion, Hirsch returned to the issue of system integrity and trust. He underlined that regional migration frameworks depend heavily on the credibility of national ID systems, mutual recognition of qualifications, and the interoperability of administrative databases. He cited examples where differing levels of administrative capacity and concerns over corruption slow the pace of integration.

When asked about recent political developments, including Tanzania’s reported restriction on certain job sectors for foreigners, Hirsch characterized such moves as politically motivated and not in line with long-term regional economic interests. He added that while full harmonization of qualifications and labour regulations across African regions remains a long-term goal, incremental, regional approaches (especially through established blocs like the East African Community) remain the most viable path forward.

Toward the end of the interview, Hirsch referred to NSI’s recent East Africa regional report, part of a broader series aimed at documenting and comparing regional approaches to migration governance across the continent. These studies argue that African states can benefit from looking to one another’s innovations rather than relying exclusively on models from outside the continent.

The full interview is available on KUTV Kenya’s digital platforms. For further details on the MIGRA programme, visit its webpage.