By Patience Gbeze, GNA
Accra, Nov. 02, GNA – The Centre for Migration Studies (CMS) at the University of Ghana, the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Metropolis International Migration Network (Metropolis International), have announced the Metropolis International Migration Network Conference 2026 in Accra.
The International Conference dubbed “Rethinking African Mobility,” is scheduled for November 18 to November 20, 2026, an official statement from CMS and Partners and copied the Ghana News Agency said.
The “Rethinking African Mobility: Past Lessons, Present Realities, Future Possibilities,” a landmark conference represents the first convening of the Metropolis International Migration Network on the African continent.
The three-day conference marks the culmination of the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Centre for Migration Studies (CMS@20) and will feature plenary discussions, roundtables and parallel sessions examining migration governance in Africa, forced displacement and humanitarian crises, the externalisation of border controls, labour mobility and skills partnerships.
Others include, free movement and trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), migration and development, migration and health, diaspora engagement and governance amid climate change, conflict and artificial intelligence.
High-Level Speakers:
The conference is expected to bring together leaders from the highest levels of national and continental governance and academia, including: His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, the President of the Republic of Ghana and incoming Chairperson of the African Union for 2027 as the keynote speaker.
Other speakers include, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the King of Morocco and African Union Champion on Migration; His Excellency Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, Minister for the Interior, Republic of Ghana; and Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana.
The statement said the presence of these high-level speakers signaled political commitment at the highest level towards placing African mobility at the centre of global migration governance.
It also gave weight to the call for African evidence and priorities to shape policy on free movement, labour mobility, displacement and the protection of migrants, across the continent and beyond, it added.
The conference conveners respectively gave their brief statements for the scheduled occasion.
Professor Mary Boatemaa Setrana, the Director of CMS, International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Research, also the Chair on Forced Displacement in Anglophone West Africa and Chair of the CMS@20 Anniversary Planning Committee, noted that “For us as a Centre, it is a profound opportunity to co-host the 2026 International Metropolis Conference for the first time on the African continent in our 20th anniversary year.
She said “Since 2006, we have grown into a global and regional hub that brings African migration into global discourse and our work has informed migration research, policy and practice in Ghana and beyond. However, global conversations on migration ignore the equally relevant perspectives from across different regions.
“In this 20th anniversary celebration, we are partnering with the Metropolis International Migration Network and the African Union to develop a balanced dialogue on the future of migration by bringing Africa and cross-regional migration into global debates in a more positive manner without labelling them as a problem, a crime or a matter of aid,” she added.
H.E. Amma A. Twum-Amoah, the Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, African Union Commission, said “The African Union identifies migration as a powerful development tool and a catalyst for regional integration.”
She said it was essential to project migration in a positive and constructive light and work in full alignment with all relevant partners, stakeholders and nations to advance regular, safe, orderly and well-governed migration.
She stated that the Conference would provide a critical opportunity to address past challenges, reinforce the implementation of existing regulatory frameworks and shape a more prosperous future for global migration governance.
“The moment has come to walk the talk and demonstrate our collective commitment to a migration future that delivers meaningful benefits for countries of origin, transit and destination alike,” she said.
The conference, which provides a platform to centre African research, policy authority and solutions in global migration governance, will convene over 300 migration researchers, government officials, policymakers, practitioners and community leaders from the Global South and North to address the most pressing migration issues facing the world today.
Speakers, scholars and policy experts will be drawn from regional and international institutions, including the AfCFTA Secretariat, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), African Union Member States, regional blocs including ECOWAS, development partners, UN organisations, universities and organisations across Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas.
The International Metropolis Conference, held annually since 1996, brings together migration researchers, policymakers, practitioners and civil society leaders from over 60 countries.
The 2026 Accra conference marks the first time the Metropolis International Migration Network has convened its conference in Africa and represents a strategic shift towards evidence-based migration governance centered on Global South institutions and priorities.
The conference is structured as an equal partnership between CMS, the AUC and Metropolis International, representing African institutional leadership, scholarship, continental policy authority and international research networks.
The Centre for Migration Studies, established in 2006 and marking its 20th anniversary in 2026, is the leading research institution on migration, displacement and mobility in West Africa.
The African Union, representing 55 Member States, advances continental integration and development, while the Metropolis International Migration Network is a global, cross-sectoral professional association advancing evidence-based policymaking and best practices in migration, diversity and inclusion, which brings together policymakers, researchers and practitioners to engender informed dialogue and develop effective policies.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo