Empowering Youth Through Legal Identity: Migration as a Catalyst for Growth

With the rise of digital platforms, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and youth-led movements, young Africans are leveraging migration to create new social and economic networks.

"Migration is not a problem to solve, but an opportunity to seize," said Walter Kasempa, AU/IOM Migration Ambassador, in a compelling video message recorded on the sidelines of a recent regional workshop held in Harare, Zimbabwe. His words reflect a growing consensus that migration, especially when involving Africa’s vibrant youth, should be approached not as a crisis but as a driver of inclusive development and innovation.

Youth: The Pulse of African Migration

Africa’s youth represent the most mobile and fastest-growing demographic on the continent. From urban centers to rural communities, young people migrate in search of opportunity, education, employment, and safety. Some are escaping conflict or economic hardship; others are driven by ambition and a desire to connect across borders. In every case, youth are not merely subjects of migration—they are its architects and innovators.

With the rise of digital platforms, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and youth-led movements, young Africans are leveraging migration to create new social and economic networks. This dynamism, when supported with robust policies and inclusive systems, can transform migration into a strategic lever for growth, regional integration, and social renewal.

Legal Identity: The Gateway to Inclusion

Despite their potential, many young migrants remain undocumented. Lacking legal identity—a verifiable record such as a birth certificate or national ID—these youth become invisible to formal institutions. This invisibility excludes them from basic services, legal protections, and full civic participation, increasing their vulnerability to exploitation and marginalization.

Walter Kasempa emphasized that ensuring every young African has access to legal identity is more than a technical requirement—it is a political and developmental priority. "Inclusion is not optional. If youth are to shape the systems that govern their mobility, they must first be seen and counted."

His call was echoed by Christian Oldiges, Chief of the Social Policy Section at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), who underscored the transformative power of youth participation in migration governance. “When young people see themselves as part of the solution, migration governance becomes not just inclusive, but transformative,” he said. Legal identity, he added, should be recognized as a governance tool for poverty reduction, public administration, and human rights.

Harnessing the AfCFTA to Boost Intra-African Mobility

At the heart of Africa’s migration future lies the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)—a landmark agreement uniting over 1.3 billion people under a single market. The AfCFTA holds immense promise for boosting intra-African trade, easing cross-border movement, and reducing the pressure to migrate outside the continent.

If fully implemented, the AfCFTA could unleash the talent of Africa’s youth, enabling them to travel, work, innovate, and invest across borders. Entrepreneurs, skilled workers, digital professionals, and cultural creatives would gain new avenues to thrive within Africa, creating a virtuous cycle of prosperity and integration.

However, this potential will not be realized unless current gaps in identity and governance are addressed. Legal identity must be harmonized across national systems, and migration data must be improved to inform evidence-based policymaking. Addressing these challenges is not just a technical necessity—it is a strategic imperative to make the AfCFTA a truly inclusive engine of transformation.

The Harare Workshop: Building Tools for Real Change

The Harare workshop, jointly organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Union Commission (AUC), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), convened stakeholders to tackle these very issues. Participants discussed strategies to improve legal identity frameworks and strengthen migration data systems across the continent.

One of the workshop’s key outcomes was the validation of a practical toolkit designed to help countries operationalize legal identity and migration governance in line with international standards. This toolkit will serve as a critical resource for national governments seeking to close gaps, enhance coordination, and empower young people with the documents and systems they need to fully participate in their societies.

Migration as a Continental Opportunity

The narrative emerging from Harare is clear: migration should no longer be treated as a problem to contain but a force to be harnessed. Youth must be seen not as passive beneficiaries but as active agents of change, whose mobility can drive entrepreneurship, peacebuilding, and continental cohesion.

Ensuring that young Africans have legal identity and a seat at the policymaking table is foundational to building a resilient and integrated Africa. It is also a moral obligation—to recognize every individual’s dignity, agency, and right to belong.

With the right investments in legal frameworks, identity systems, and inclusive governance, Africa can turn migration into a story of empowerment, innovation, and sustainable growth. As Kasempa aptly put it, the time has come to stop managing migration as a crisis and start steering it as a cornerstone of Africa’s development.