First post: Making the case for migration research with African intermediary cities

by Janina Stürner-Siovitz

According to the OECD, Africa is the continent with the fastest urban growth worldwide, with a population expected to double between 2020 and 2050. Two-thirds of this growth will take place in urban areas, with intermediary cities exhibiting particularly high growth rates and forecast to absorb about half of the overall increase in urban residents.

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Framework: African intermediary cities and urban migration governance

by Janina Stürner-Siovitz

Interviewed in the context of a study on migrant- and refugee-sensitive COVID-19 responses, a representative from the Tunisian city of Sfax highlighted that the municipality considered proactive engagement on mixed migration and social cohesion both timely and relevant. However, as a subnational entity of a state without a national migration framework, the municipal authorities lack politico-legal mandates and resources to address such issues. Nevertheless, the city of Sfax finds ways to take action on mixed migration through local and transnational cooperation with civil society actors, migrant associations, local and regional authorities, and international organizations. For example, city representatives are collaborating with the NGO Terre d’Asile Tunisie on a project to strengthen the coordination among local actors on questions of migration. Having said that, the municipal scope of action gained through such multi-stakeholder collaboration remains limited so far.

Continue reading “African intermediary cities as actors in urban migration governance. A blog mini-series by Janina Stürner-Siovitz (1)”