Migration is often identified as a last resort for people hoping to improve their standard of living. Favourable global conditions such as the demand for labour in destination countries and a booming international market have, in the past, made it relatively easy for migrants to seek a more secure life for themselves outside of their countries of origin. This paper, based on the African Peer Review
Mechanism (APRM) Country Review Reports (CRRs), analyses critically what the APRM says and does not say about migration in Africa. In doing so, it identifies migration trends and patterns by analysing the 16 CRRs available in English. The paper has three main objectives: firstly, to compare and contrast APRM member countries where interesting comparisons can be drawn. Secondly, to analyse and scrutinise the representation of migration in the CRRs. Thirdly, to examine what the CRRs say (or don’t say) about migration. This will identify crucial questions related to migration that the APRM may be overlooking, as well as areas of specific migration-related focus. The paper distinguishes between two types of migration: voluntary and forced. Three main types of forced migrants can be identified: refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced persons (IDPs). In analysing the reports the paper also seeks to analyse how the CRRs contextualise migration – in other words, does the APRM discuss and conceptualise migration in ‘one bag’ or does it conceptualise it in terms of the different typologies?
