Over the past year, the New South Institute (NSI) has published a series of country- and region-focused studies on migration governance in Africa. Reports on South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, East Africa, West Africa and migration data systems have examined how different national and sub-regional approaches shape mobility across the continent. Each study has identified barriers to intra-African migration and highlighted examples of reform.

This new report, authored by Victor Amadi, an affiliate researcher at NSI, and Alan Hirsch, a senior researcher and head of the Migration Governance Reform in Africa (MIGRA) programme, shifts focus to the continental level. It examines two African Union initiatives – the Free Movement of Persons Protocol and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) – and how they intersect to influence the mobility of people across Africa.

The report describes the legal and institutional frameworks behind these initiatives, tracks their implementation, and explores how continental commitments relate to existing regional practices. While the AfCFTA has gained wide support and institutional momentum, the Free Movement Protocol remains under-ratified, with only four countries having ratified it as of mid-2025. The authors examine why this gap persists and what it reveals about the political and security dynamics surrounding migration. They also consider how AfCFTA’s trade-related mobility provisions might offer a more incremental path toward wider freedom of movement.

Drawing on both policy analysis and stakeholder interviews, the report highlights where progress has been made and where obstacles remain. It proposes that integration through trade and mobility can be mutually reinforcing, but only if both are pursued with coordinated political support and investment.

This publication forms part of the Migration Governance Reform in Africa (MIGRA) programme and builds on earlier work focused on national reforms and sub-regional migration dialogues. Together, these studies aim to inform a more coherent, development-oriented approach to mobility across the African continent.