Inclusive Economic Integration for Migrant and Displaced African Youth: Learning from East and West Africa (Pathways)

Pathways is a research-to-policy initiative that seeks to strengthen understanding of the economic opportunities and challenges facing migrant and displaced young people in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and Sierra Leone. Working across East and West Africa, the project will generate comparative evidence from different migration and displacement contexts, including major refugee-hosting settings and countries shaped by labour migration.

Across Africa, migration and displacement are closely linked to livelihoods and development. Young refugees, internally displaced persons and labour migrants often face barriers to accessing lawful employment, documentation, recognition of their skills, financial services and other economic opportunities. Despite existing national and regional policy commitments, gaps remain between policy provisions and young people’s lived experiences. These gaps may reflect regulatory challenges, institutional coordination constraints, limited resources and insufficient engagement with young people.

The project will examine how migration and displacement policies are implemented, identify barriers affecting young people’s economic participation and explore practical approaches to improving access to economic opportunities. By bringing together evidence from young people, government institutions, businesses, civil society and other stakeholders, Pathways will support informed policy discussions, institutional learning and improvements in policy and practice.

The project will undertake the following activities:

1. Stakeholder consultations and country-level planning: Engage relevant government institutions, civil society organisations, young people and other stakeholders to identify priorities and inform country-level research and policy engagement activities.
2. Policy and institutional reviews: Examine existing migration, displacement and economic inclusion policies, their implementation and the institutional arrangements influencing young people’s access to economic opportunities.
3. Youth-centred surveys and qualitative studies: Generate evidence on the experiences of migrant and displaced young people, including the barriers and opportunities they encounter in accessing employment, entrepreneurship and livelihoods.
4. Analysis of employment pathways and digital approaches: Examine employment and livelihood pathways, including the potential of digital approaches to facilitate economic participation.
5. Targeted technical support: Provide relevant institutions with technical support to strengthen approaches to addressing barriers to economic inclusion.
6. Capacity-building for youth and policymakers: Support learning and capacity strengthening among young people and policymakers to enhance understanding of migration, displacement and economic integration.
7. Country and regional learning discussions: Facilitate opportunities for policymakers, practitioners, young people and other stakeholders to exchange evidence, experiences and lessons across the four countries and between East and West Africa.

The Pathways project aims to achieve the following:

1. Improved understanding of policy implementation: Strengthened understanding of how migration and displacement policies are implemented in practice, including the institutional and regulatory challenges affecting young people’s economic participation.
2. Stronger evidence on youth economic opportunities: Increased availability of evidence on migrant and displaced young people’s experiences of employment, entrepreneurship and other livelihood opportunities to inform policymaking and programme design.
3. Identification of practical approaches to economic inclusion: Improved understanding of feasible approaches to strengthen institutional coordination, relevant services and access to economic opportunities for migrant and displaced young people.
4. Enhanced cross-country learning and policy engagement: Increased opportunities for policymakers, practitioners and young people to exchange experiences, evidence and lessons across Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and Sierra Leone to inform policy and practice.

The Pathways project is implemented by the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) and the African Migration and Development Policy Centre (AMADPOC), with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York.