November 7, 2025(SWITZERLAND)__On the sidelines of the 116th Session of the IOM Council Meeting in Geneva, Kenya participated in the ministerial round-table where it called for tangible action on migration, framing it as a pivotal force for Africa's future prosperity.
Speaking at the high-level ministerial event, Ambassador Hellen Gichuhi, Secretary for Diaspora Welfare and Partnerships, delivered Kenya’s vision under the forum’s theme, “Africa Migration at a Crossroads: From Cooperation to Solutions.”
Amb. Gichuhi indicated that while continental cooperative frameworks are commendable, the era of mere talk is over.
“Cooperation alone is no longer sufficient,” stated Amb. Hellen. “We must now translate agreements into tangible, practical, and sustainable solutions for people on the move and the communities that receive them.”
Citing Kenya’s own policy shift, the Ambassador highlighted the abolition of Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) for African citizens as a catalyst for increased mobility.
“This visa removal has seen significant movement of people and services from other African countries,” she reported.
She presented Kenya as a live example for migration solutions, detailing initiatives that leverage diaspora expertise and ensure migration benefits all. These include: technology and skills transfer initiatives, Diaspora-led philanthropic efforts, such as the Kisumu Neuroscience Initiative, which runs free medical camps in Kenya, facilitating skills transfer and serving patients from across the region, an innovative mobile consular service and a dedicated Diaspora Investment Support Office to engage and support Kenyans abroad.
Amb. Gichuhi challenged the narrative of "brain drain," proposing "talent circulation" instead.
“A nurse from Ghana working in Paris, a Kenyan software engineer in New York, a Moroccan engineer in Shanghai, a Ugandan software developer in Senegal. These are not stories of loss. They are threads of shared prosperity,” she asserted.
She emphasized that youth undertake dangerous journeys “not because they love danger, but because they seek opportunities.” The solution, she argued, lies in creating “safe, orderly and secure migration pathways.”
A key proposal was ensuring the portability of social benefits, like pensions, across borders.
“This not only avails much needed finances for national development but also provides an opportunity for dignified return,” she explained, significantly reducing reintegration costs.
“Africa stands at a pivotal crossroads,” Amb. Gichuhi concluded. “The decisions we take today will shape whether migration becomes a driver of prosperity—or a source of instability—for generations to come.”
The round-table, co-sponsored by Botswana, Senegal, Tunisia and Uganda and attended by ministers and senior officials from across Africa, is expected to shape the continental agenda on migration ahead of key international forums in 2026.