[Adesewa]

   
No fewer than 17 million Africans left the continent in 2017 in search of greener pastures , a new report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD ) has said.
The ‘Economic Development in Africa ’ report also said 5 . 5 million people moved to Africa from other continents while some 19 million international migrants moved within Africa.
“ Overall, some 19 million international migrants moved within Africa , and 17 million Africans left the continent during last year . The continent was also the destination for about 5 .5 million people from outside ,” the report found .
It said the large - scale migration of people within Africa tended to boost growth and lifted the continent ’s whole economy , urging the world to dispel misconceptions and “ harmful narratives ” targeting migration .
The report also said cross -border movement offered “ a chance for a better life , with the social and economic benefits extending to both source and destination countries, as well as future generations ” .
Mukhisa Kituyi , the Secretary -General of ( UNCTAD) , said at the launching the report : “ Our analysis shows this to be true for millions of African migrants and their families” .
Kituyi added that public perception , “ particularly as it relates to international African migration , is rife with misconceptions that have become part of a divisive , misleading and harmful narrative .”
The report said remittances travelling back home from migrant workers both outside and inside Africa rose – on average – from 38 . 4 billion dollars between 2005 to 2007 , to 64 .9 billion dollars , during the two -year period up to the end of 2016 .
According to the report , therefore , remittances accounted for over half of the capital flows within the continent .
Likewise , migrants contributed nearly 20 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP ) in Côte d ’ Ivoire according to figures from 2008 , and 13 per cent in Rwanda (2012 figures ).
Junior Davis , the lead author of the report , said it provided evidence of the “ intimate correlation ” between migration and trade – two sides of the same coin .
“ Africa is on the cusp of tremendous change , ” he said , noting the recently agreed African Continental Free Trade Area and the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons.
“ In this context the report contributes to a better understanding of the implications of intra -African migration for the continent ’s socio -economic transformation, ” Davis added .
However , alongside the numbers of migrants moving and working within Africa , the continent also has some of the highest number of people forced from their homes due to conflict or natural disasters .
On top of the development gains lost at home , there is a significant economic and social burden faced by host countries, leaving many migrants dependent on international humanitarian aid , the report stated .