MADE West Africa

Activities

The program is an in-depth three-year work (2017-2020) and has three main objectives:

 Improving the capacity of civil society and national/local State authorities to enhance intra- and inter-regional mobility via the implementation of the ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol. 

Implemented by CMS in Ghana and Sierra Leone 

 Guaranteeing respect of migrant workers’ rights and to promote civil society’s participation in labour migration governance.

Implemented by ICMC Europe in Senegal and Guinea 

 Maximizing the contribution of diaspora to the development of countries of origin by promoting innovative cooperation frameworks between diaspora, development NGOs, national/local authorities and the private sector.

Implemented by AFFORD in Ghana and Sierra Leone,

by FORIM in Burkina Faso and Togo

The program is structured around five activities : 

1. Research to improve the evidence base for programs and policies and identify the gaps concerning the project’s pillars

2. Capacity-building through training workshops to address gaps and needs identified in the researches

3. Intra- and inter-regional multi-stakeholder dialogues to involve relevant local, national and regional stakeholders, promote synergies and share good practices

4. SDG progress assessment  to monitor the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals concerning mobility human trafficking, and remittances in the West African context. 

5. A pilot fund to offer small grants to migrant and civil society organizations in the six target countries of the program to encourage actions that could support the three objectives of the project. 

Project partners

MADE West Africa was launched by AFFORD (African Foundation for Development), the CMS (Centre for Migration Studies of the University of Ghana), the FORIM (Forum of International Organizations of Migration Issues) and ICMC Europe (International Catholic Migration Commission). ICMC Europe is the main coordinator of the project.

The collaboration with project partners such as the Centre for Migration Studies of the University of Ghana (CMS) allows to build on their previous extensive research experience as the first research centre in the West African sub-region, which forms an integral part of the project. CMS studies intra-regional mobility within the ECOWAS region and focuses on Sierra Leone and Ghana.

Project partners FORIM and AFFORD both have established and make use of networks of diaspora–led organisations and local civil society organisations which are engaged in activities concerning integration in Europe as well as the expansion of a diaspora-development framework and the building of development partnerships in Africa. AFFORD focuses on Ghana and Sierra Leone and FORIM on Togo and Burkina Faso.

ICMC Europe is able to build upon its coordination experience of the Migration and Development Civil Society (MADE) programme in direct partnership with global and regional civil society partners in Africa, Europe and Latin America, which has run since 2014. Furthermore, ICMC Europe is engaging with the Rabat Process’ Secretariat on an ongoing basis, adding its expertise and a CSO perspective to the dialogue, providing a bridge between the projects’ focus and the wider political framework. ICMC Europe focuses on Senegal and Guinea concerning migrant workers’ protection.

MADE West Africa is funded by the European Union as part of the “Rabat Process call for proposal” issued by the European Commission, (DG DEVCO)*

*The Rabat Process is a platform for political cooperation gathering 57 African and European countries, as well as the European Commission and the ECOWAS. Since 2006, the process promotes Euro-African dialogue and policy-making on migration and development issues to reinforce the legal protection of migrants and fight against human trafficking.