Short Abstract

The panel examines African integration and migration through a historical lens. It interrogates why ambitious regional commitments to free movement have repeatedly encountered restrictive national practices and examines the consequences of this policy gap for migrants, border communities and others.

Long Abstract

African integration has remained a core goal of postcolonial African politics, as shown by the creation of regional organisations and repeated continental initiatives designed to foster economic cooperation, freedom of movement, political stability, and collective security. From the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) to the African Union (AU), and through regional economic communities such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), African states have adopted policies intended to support cross-border mobility and deepen regional integration. Yet the historical record of African integration shows a continuing tension between the desire for open borders and the political, economic, and security conditions faced by individual states and communities. This panel explores the historical links between African integration, migration, and security challenges, giving particular attention to how continental and regional migration policies have evolved and been implemented. It evaluates the extent to which these initiatives have aligned with the lived experiences of African migrants and border communities. Employing a historical methodology, the panel draws on policy documents, regional agreements, government records, scholarly literature, and historical experiences to analyse both continuities and changes in African migration and security policies. It pays particular attention to the historical relationship between migration and security. Conflicts, terrorism, political instability, economic inequality, climate-related pressures and transnational crime have increasingly encouraged states to frame migration through a security lens. The panel ultimately seeks to contribute to debates on building more coherent, historically grounded and people-centred approaches to African integration and migration governance.

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