The Network

The Network:

NOMRA is a collaborative organisation of researchers and scholars interested and working on migration, especially international migration, in the region. The numbers of experienced researchers are few and many more young researchers, especially females, need to be encouraged.

Aim:

The overall aim of the Network is to build a regional migration research network and research capacity to carry out cross-national, multidisciplinary and innovative research on socio-cultural, economic and political aspects of international migration in the region in order to advance knowledge on migration dynamics and policymaking in the region.

Objectives: NOMRA will:

· Assist in raising international migration issues and discourse at the highest political level and ensure that migration is adequately mainstreamed into development activities, including PRSPs.

· develop capacities, through training, of officials to help governments better understand migration management.

· develop research capacities in the region and enhance knowledge in migration research through training of researchers;

· provide high–level advice and research services for policy makers at national, sub-regional and regional levels and assist in raising the quality of international migration data collection, storage and analysis by migration authorities and by census and statistics offices in the region.

Activities: In pursuance of the stated objectives, the Network will be actively engaged in capacity building of researchers, and consequently of national officials to help governments to better understand migration management, and support regional initiatives. It will also assist young researchers in theoretical, methodological and policy approaches to migration research. Above all, it will help develop empirical knowledge and provide broad-based and reliable data to guide decision making at national, sub-regional and regional levels.

Output: The NOMRA is a central focal point for migration research in Africa and will publish a quarterly Newsletter on Migration Trends and Policy Development in the region in English and French. The Newsletters will be widely disseminated to researchers, research institutions, government agencies, development partners, NGOs and other stakeholders in migration matters, within and outside the region.

Special editions of the newsletters will feature recent research findings on topical themes to be elaborated by the Advisory Board. The information from the needs assessment and skills audit will be compiled and updated periodically to form the basis of the training and retraining of immigration and other officials in all aspects of migration management.

The findings of the state-of-the-art review of research on the leading issues on migration will be discussed at NOMRA’s inaugural scientific conference and published in reader-friendly formats. A yearly African Migration Report will be added to the Newsletter.

Institutional Setting: The NOMRA is located in the Human Resources Development Centre (HRDC), Lagos, Nigeria; for now there is no centre of excellence for the study of migration and development in the region. This gap, and the need for a policy think-tank on migration is widely recognised in the region.

Sub-regional Focal Points: Five sub-regional focal points will be established in Western, Eastern, Central, Northern and Southern Africa. These experienced researchers will serve as correspondents providing news, up-to-date information on migration trends and policy development in their respective sub-regions, and will also encourage, where feasible, the establishment of national networks.

NOMRA was officially registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in Nigeria the 10th of February 2010, with registration number RC868798.