Iwara Calls for Education, Policy Reforms to Tackle Rising Afrophobia

By Opeyemi Samuel

A development economist, Dr Ishmael Obaeko Iwara , has called for education and policy reforms to address rising Afrophobia and growing tensions surrounding migration across Africa.

Iwara made the call while speaking at the International Conference on Democracy and Development in Africa within the Context of Global Democratic Reversal, hosted by Aston University, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

He said addressing hostility towards migrants required an Afrocentric educational framework covering households, communities, schools, higher institutions, workplaces and policy environments.

“An Afrocentric educational framework is needed across households, communities, schools, higher institutions, workplaces and policy environments to address misinformation, prejudice and negative perceptions that fuel intolerance and violence against migrants,” he said.

Iwara also urged the African Union (AU) to promote continent-wide dialogue on migration governance, cross-border mobility and transnational crime while protecting human dignity and regional integration.

Drawing on the South African experience, he said, “Africa is experiencing a resurgence of Afrophobia, which differs from xenophobia in that it involves discrimination and violence directed by Africans against fellow Africans.”

He said the phenomenon reflected deeper challenges relating to identity, inequality and social exclusion.

Iwara noted that recurrent outbreaks of anti-migrant violence in South Africa, as well as historical incidents such as Ghana’s Aliens Compliance Order of 1969 and Nigeria’s deportation of undocumented migrants in 1983, showed that anti-migrant sentiment had emerged at different times across the continent.

He said, “These developments highlight the tension between national interests and African solidarity.”

While acknowledging concerns around crime and irregular migration as legitimate policy issues, Iwara cautioned against the collective criminalisation of migrants.

He noted that migrants lived in host countries under different legal arrangements, including permanent residence permits, critical skills visas, study permits, work permits, relative visas, refugee status, asylum protection and other temporary residence categories.

“Migrants contribute to economic activity, entrepreneurship and skills development. Indiscriminate hostility towards them is therefore a threat to justice, human rights and social inclusion,” he said.

Iwara further warned that persistent Afrophobia could undermine Africa’s development by weakening regional integration, labour mobility, social cohesion and cross-border trade.

He said hostility towards migrants could also discourage investment, entrepreneurship, innovation and knowledge transfer, while undermining confidence in initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

According to him, “The trend could worsen economic fragmentation and social instability and limit Africa’s efforts towards inclusive growth, sustainable development and deeper continental integration.”

He called for stronger collaboration among African governments, institutions and communities to promote peaceful coexistence and address migration challenges without resorting to discrimination.

Ishmael Obaeko Iwara is a development economist and has been rated by the National Research Foundation of South Africa.