The New South Institute’s Head of the Migration Governance Reform in Africa Programme (MIGRA), Alan Hirsch, participated in the 9th Pan African Forum on Migration (PAFoM IX) held from December 16-18, 2025, in Cape Town, South Africa. The forum, organized by the African Union Commission’s Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Social Development in partnership with Regional Economic Communities (RECs), brought together migration governance leaders from across the continent under the theme “Smart, Integrated and Secure Border Management: Leveraging Technology for Efficient Human Mobility and Trade in Africa.”

A critical platform for migration governance

PAFoM was established in 2006 following AU Executive Council Decision EX.CL/276(IX) as a continental platform for AU Member States, RECs, UN agencies, civil society, and academia to address emerging migration challenges and shape policy development. The ninth edition comes at a crucial moment as Africa advances implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons—frameworks that depend on modernized, efficient border management systems.

Hirsch’s participation in PAFoM IX aligns directly with NSI’s MIGRA programme objectives. As our recent December webinar highlighted, much of Africa’s migration occurs within the continent itself, with approximately 80% of the 21 million African migrants moving between African regions. Yet this intra-continental mobility remains poorly managed, with fragmented documentation systems, limited interoperability between border agencies, and insufficient data exchange mechanisms creating barriers to trade, labour mobility, and regional integration.

Focus on technology and border management

PAFoM IX emphasized practical solutions to longstanding border management challenges. The forum explored four key operational areas that resonate with NSI’s research agenda:

Legal Identity and Border Management: Effective identity management systems are foundational to safe, regular migration. Hirsch has consistently argued that “free movement” refers to regular, documented mobility supported by functional border systems—not borderless travel. The forum’s focus on identity management directly addresses gaps NSI identified in civil registration and identification documentation across African countries.

Institutional Mechanisms for Border Coordination: The forum examined inter- and intra-border coordination structures, addressing the trust deficits and incompatible systems that Hirsch identified in our December webinar as key obstacles to regional mobility frameworks.

Regional Integration and Visa Openness: Sessions on liberalizing visa policies and harmonizing entry and exit procedures—including One-Stop Border Posts (OSBPs)—engaged with the uneven progress NSI research has documented across regions like ECOWAS, EAC, and SADC.

Digitization of Immigration Services: Discussions on Integrated Border Management (IBM), Border Management Information Systems (BMIS), and Traveller Identification Management addressed the technological transformation NSI views as essential to moving African borders from traditional, fragmented regimes to modern, efficient gateways.

Connecting continental frameworks to implementation

Hirsch’s presentation at PAFoM IX examined how technology can bridge the gap between continental commitments and practical implementation—a theme central to NSI’s work. While frameworks like the Migration Policy Framework for Africa (MPFA) and the AU Free Movement Protocol establish important principles, their impact depends on functional systems at borders and between immigration authorities.

The forum’s emphasis on automation, data integration, and interoperability in border systems reflects a shift NSI has advocated: moving from debating abstract rights to building the practical infrastructure that makes predictable, secure mobility possible. Digital identity systems, automated entry and exit procedures, and real-time data sharing can transform how African countries manage migration—but only if implemented through sustained cooperation and investment.

NSI’s ongoing contribution

NSI’s MIGRA programme continues to provide research and analysis that supports evidence-based migration policy across Africa. Our comprehensive review of migration data, civil registration systems, identification processes, and cooperative agreements between African countries addresses precisely the operational gaps PAFoM IX sought to tackle.

The programme’s comparative work across AU, ECOWAS, EAC, and SADC frameworks—as discussed in our December webinar—helps identify what is working, what remains stalled, and what implementation still requires. By evaluating the impact of current policies and practices, NSI aims to provide actionable recommendations that enhance migration management within Africa, reduce disruption, and support the continent’s broader integration and development goals.

As PAFoM IX concluded on International Migrants Day, the forum reinforced that effective migration governance is not peripheral to Africa’s development trajectory—it is central to realizing the vision of an integrated, prosperous, people-centered continent outlined in Agenda 2063. NSI’s participation through Alan Hirsch’s expertise ensures our research continues to inform and support this critical continental agenda.