Civil society organisations (CSOs) on migration across Africa have reiterated their commitment to promote the ratification of the African Union (AU) Free Movement Protocol.
The position was made known during a high-impact hybrid workshop and advocacy dialogue organised from July 28 to 29, 2025 in Accra.
The workshop focused on advancing the ratification of the African Union Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment (AU FMP).
The event brought together 48 onsite participants and 31 virtual participants representing civil society organisations (CSOs) from 10 AU Member States, alongside key policy actors, migration experts and development partners.
The two-day event was co-organised by the CSO Coalition on Migration in Ghana, with support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) through the programme, “Shaping Development-Oriented Migration (MEG).”
It aimed to equip CSO leaders with advocacy tools, policy knowledge and continental perspectives to strengthen national campaigns for the ratification and implementation of the AU Free Movement Protocol.
The dialogue built on an earlier international peer-to-peer exchange among CSOs from India, Nepal, Vietnam, Kosovo, Georgia, Albania, Serbia, Colombia, Ecuador and Ghana held in November 2024 and facilitated by GIZ-MEG.
Central theme
During that meeting, regional priorities were identified, and African CSOs—represented by the CSOs Coalition on Migration, Ghana (CCMG) collectively selected “Promoting the ratification of the AU Free Movement Protocol” as their central theme.
This vision has since gained both legitimacy and urgency within AU frameworks (AU FMP and AFCFTA) particularly given the slow progress on ratification compared to the more advanced implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Since its adoption in January 2018, only four AU Member States—Mali, Niger, Rwanda, and São Tomé and Príncipe—have ratified the Protocol, despite 32 having signed by July 2022.
This lag contrasts starkly with the comparatively rapid ratification of the AfCFTA, despite both being adopted the same year.
This workshop reaffirmed the importance of CSOs in this process. Positioned close to communities and equipped with strong advocacy tools, CSOs are pivotal to catalysing national action and driving a whole-of-society approach to migration governance.
United Africa
At the event, Eric Peasah, Convener of the CSOs Coalition on Migration in Ghana, drew upon the words of Julius Nyerere about a united Africa, emphasising that “Africans once journeyed freely from Timbuktu to North Africa, from Kano to Tripoli and across ancient caravan routes.
“Though these journeys were long, they were often freer than today's air travel, hampered by bureaucracy and restrictive visa regimes.”
He reiterated Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s vision of continental unity, stating that "Africa Must Unite is not just political rhetoric; it is an economic, social and spiritual imperative."
The Head of Humanitarian Affairs at the African Union Commission (AUC), Rita Amukhobu, provided valuable insights on the current status of the Protocol’s ratification.
In her presentation, she emphasised that despite recurring concerns over regional security, the protocol remained critical to Africa’s integration agenda and urged participants to focus on the progressive realisation of the protocol following ratification as central to the advocacy.
