On 17 July 2025, Alan Hirsch, senior research fellow at the New South Institute and head of the Migration Governance Reform in Africa (MIGRA) Programme, published an article in The Conversation Africa titled “East African countries and open borders: great strides, but still a long way to go“.

The article presents findings from a new NSI report on migration governance in East Africa, now available on the NSI website. Hirsch examines the region’s progress in facilitating the movement of people, particularly through the East African Community (EAC), and notes that while advances have been made (such as simplified cross-border access between Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda) important structural and legal barriers remain.

Key challenges identified include uneven implementation of the EAC’s Common Market Protocol, weak enforcement of regional legal decisions, and limited harmonisation of education, labour and social systems. The report also highlights the role of political leadership and partnerships with non-state actors in enabling progress to date.

Hirsch outlines policy recommendations to improve regional migration systems, including harmonised population data management, reduced friction in remittance flows, mutual recognition of documents and strengthened regional legal institutions.