Presenter: Dr Balkissa Daouda Diallo
Date: Wednesday, 23 July 2025
Time: 12:30 – 13:45
Venue: ACMS Seminar Room: Room 2163, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor), East Campus, Wits University (directions)
Zoom link: https://wits-za.zoom.us/j/95441930593
Register: https://tinyurl.com/4zxkc7s8
Abstract:
Studies on migration governance in the context of African so-called migrants sending countries are often influenced by European narratives. While this discourse informs migration policy in these countries, it overshadows existing local mechanisms that condition actors’ practices. Debates on this issue either point to the influence of the European Union (EU) on migration governance in Africa, or to the agency of African states in aligning or ‘bargaining’ their policy goals with global agendas on migration. The present discussion uses a multi-level governance lens to examine the case of Niger’s management of ‘transit’ migration to Europe from 2015–2020. Its objective is to explore the influences multi-level actors had on this governance and its outcomes. In doing so, it shows how higher-level processes seldom reflect lower-level realities where informality prevails often at the expense of migrants. These dynamics critically challenge conventional ideas of what is considered ‘legal’ or ‘illegal’ crossings in a context where borders are negotiated informally.
About the researcher:
Dr Balkissa Daouda Diallo is a Postdoctoral Researcher affiliated with the African Centre for Migration and Society (ACMS). Her research is on African migrations and governance with a focus on informal and multi-level mechanisms. She holds a Ph.D. in Global Governance and Human Security and an M.A. in Conflict Resolution from the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston). She also holds an M.A. in International Development and an M.S. in Environmental Studies from Ohio University. She earned a B.A. in Political Science and History at the University of Ghana, Legon.
