Date: 16th – 18th December, 2025
Cape Town, Republic of South Africa

The Pan African Forum on Migration (PAFoM) was created in 2006 after the AU Executive Council Decision EX.CL/276(IX) mandated the African Union Commission. It was created as a platform to bring together key players across the African continent to address migration challenges. The forum consists of the African Union member states, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), UN agencies, civil society, Academic institutions, and other partners with the aim of improving migration governance across the continent. The goal was to harmonize migration policies and practices by ensuring they align since their creation with broader regional integration goals like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Free Movement of Persons Protocol, while ensuring that their recommendations feed directly into AU decision-making.

PAFoM IX has hosted eight sessions across Africa, each focusing on migration issues that are vital to the continent's development. These forums have become an important space for decision-making, where discussions on topics like climate change, labor migration, border management, human trafficking, and security concerns have helped shape AU policies. The forum sessions have led to tangible outcomes, such as the adoption of new migration policies and the strengthening of cooperation between African countries. By bringing together experts and decision-makers, the forum has played a key role in advancing Africa’s migration agenda, all while working toward a more unified and prosperous continent.

As migration dynamics continue to shift, influenced by factors like globalization and technological progress, PAFoM remains an essential platform. The 9th session promises to drive collaboration and policy development further as Africa works toward implementing comprehensive migration and mobility frameworks.
Since 2006, PAFoM has been marked by several editions held at key moments, each contributing to strengthening continental dialogue on migration.
- PAFoM‑1 (2006) Accra, Ghana.
- PAFoM‑2 (2016) Fostering Regional Integration: Facilitating Trade and Human Mobility through Enhanced Border Management.
- PAFoM‑3 (2017): Towards a Common African Position on the Global Compact on Migration and on Refugees.
- PAFoM‑4 (2018): Harnessing the Benefits of Free Movement of Persons Regime for Sustainable Development in Africa.
- PAFoM‑5 (2019): Strengthening Migration Data and Research for Evidence-Based Policy Development and Implementation towards Effective Migration Governance in Africa.
- ⁠PAFoM‑6 (2021): Strengthening Labor Migration Governance in Africa in the Context of a Pandemic for Accelerated Socio‑economic Development and Continental Integration.
- ⁠PAFoM‑7 (2022): Addressing the Impact of Climate Change on Human Mobility in Africa: Building Adaptation Strategies and Resilient Communities.
- ⁠PAFoM‑8 (2023): Bolstering Free Movement and Trade Nexus in AfCFTA : Optimizing Benefits of Migration, Labour Migration for Development.

Accentuated in the African Union’s long-term vision and echoed throughout all aspirations of Agenda 2063, the imperative of an integrated, mobile, and economically interconnected Africa has never been more compelling. Human mobility, trade, and technological transformation increasingly shape Africa’s development trajectory, reaffirming that meaningful regional integration cannot be attained without coordinated, well-governed migration systems. The 9th edition Pan African Forum on Migration (PAFoM IX) reflects the convenes at a moment witnessed by evolving dynamics of migration across the continent, shaped by global, regional, and national socio-economic, technological, and geopolitical transformations. This edition addresses the increasing mobility and migration flows accelerated by factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), globalization, and the ongoing implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). PAFoM IX builds on the recognition that mobility is central to Africa’s development architecture, particularly as the continent advances implementation of flagship frameworks such as the MPFA, the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, and the AfCFTA. These instruments collectively reaffirm that people, goods, and services must move seamlessly for Africa to unlock the full dividends of intra-African trade, labour mobility, and industrialisation. Against this backdrop, PAFoM IX emphasizes the need for enhanced coordination and collaboration among immigration services to ensure safe, secure, and efficient movement of people across Africa.

PAFoM IX is uniquely positioned to advance smart, integrated, and secure border management through the theme: “Leveraging Technology for Efficient Human Mobility and Trade in Africa.” The Forum highlights the growing role of technology and digital platforms in modernizing border operations, striking a balance between facilitating migration and ensuring national security, and promoting dignified and regulated mobility. By embracing the opportunities presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, this edition underscores the importance of automation, data integration, and interoperability in border systems across the continent.

A defining feature of PAFoM IX is the formal establishment of the Migration Advisory Council (MAC), a dedicated working group under the AU’s Specialized Technical Committee on Migration, Refugees, and Internally Displaced Persons. MAC will provide expert guidance on policy and operational matters related to migration and mobility, fostering continental cooperation and harmonized practices. This initiative will enable AU Member States to collectively shape migration governance frameworks, share best practices, and respond effectively to emerging challenges such as irregular migration, trafficking in persons, and cross-border security threats.

This edition also places a strong emphasis on four key operational areas. PAFoM IX will explore practical solutions for effective identity management, inter- and intra-border coordination, harmonized entry and exit procedures, including one-stop border posts (OSBPs), and digital platforms such as Integrated Border Management (IBM) and Border Management Information Systems (BMIS). This seeks to augment efforts in Africa’s shift from traditional, fragmented border regimes to smart, modern gateways that enable trade, enhance human mobility, and reinforce security

• Legal Identity and Border Management
- Effective Identity management for safe migration

• Effective Institutional Mechanism for Border Management
- Inter and Intra Border Coordination Structures

• Regional Integration and Africa Visa Openness
- Opportunities and challenges for efficiently facilitated cross-border movement in Africa
- liberalizing visa policies and advancing the reciprocity principle
- Harmonizing Entry and Exit Procedures and Processes incl. OSBP

• Digitization of Immigration Services
- Integrated Border Management (IBM)
- Border Management Information System
- Traveller Identification Management

The overall objective of PAFoM is to strengthen migration governance across Africa by providing a platform for dialogue and collaboration among African Union Member States to create a smart and easy system of migration to utilize the forum as a development tool to streamline the migration process.

The 9th edition session of the Forum will:

• Provide a platform for the establishment of a consultative and engagement forum for Directors General/Chiefs/Heads of Immigration from AU Member States to discuss migration-related challenges and developments.

• Promote sustained cooperation and collaboration in immigration, emigration, and migration management policies, frameworks, laws and regulations, and practices in Africa.

• Provide a forum for sharing Africa context-specific issues on immigration practices and border management to harmonize policies and practices across the continent.

• Interrogate the impact of legal identity and border management in facilitating the smooth flow of persons across borders in Africa.

• Deliberate on the benefits of leveraging technology towards automation of border systems to streamline procedures and improve migration data collection and analysis.

• Promote an integrated Africa by actively championing visa openness as a strategic enabler for easing mobility restrictions across RECs and Member States.

• Popularise the AU's new policies to reduce incidences of TiP and SoM in all RECs while supporting the implementation of the AU Horn of Africa Initiative (AUHOAI).

It is expected that the Forum will yield the following outcomes, among others:
• Directors General/Chief/Heads of Immigration constitute a dedicated Migration Advisory Council (MAC) platform focused on addressing migration-related challenges across the continent.
• Improved cooperation and coordination of immigration services for better facilitation of the movement of persons.
• Enhanced appreciation and knowledge of the digitization of border systems and increased uptake of the same for improved efficiency in border governance.
• Enhanced knowledge on the positive impact of liberalizing the visa regime in RECs and Member States in Africa.
• Strengthened regional cooperation and coordination in addressing TiP and SoM.