The nexus between migration and health is recognized as a key cross-cutting issue to achieve effective migration governance in Africa. The MPFA highlights the fact that linkages between the two topics are constantly brought to the fore in the international discourse on migration, in the context of the spread of communicable diseases. The current COVID-19 pandemic is an unfortunate but perfect example of how various migrant groups are exposed to health risks because of their pronounced conditions of vulnerability, including their restricted access to health services, both during and after periods of mobility. In order to sustainably address these challenges, the MPFA recommends, inter alia, to •Ensure that migrants have adequate access to health care services by granting access to national healthcare systems and programmes, •Ensure the minimal healthcare service package for refugees and displaced persons, including prevention, treatment and health education, with special regard for the needs of vulnerable groups,•Advocate for the inclusion of migrants and mobile population health issues into national and regional health programmes and strategies and to •Ensure that healthcare personnel in high migrant receiving areas are trained to provide healthcare needs of migrants. The AUC Migration and Health program was launched in July 2020, with the global objective to initiate and define Policy and Programming priorities that will advance discourse on access to health for migrants and refugees, guide the policy work of the AU system and inspire AU Member States into action towards promoting equitable access to health for migrants and refugees. However, identifying these priorities requests to have a better understanding of the state of affairs regarding the health needs of various migrant groups and of continental and regional policies linking migration and health. In order to address this need, the Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development of the African Union Commission requested a study on “Migration and Health: Addressing Current Health Challenges of Migrants & Refugees in Africa”, a project supported by GIZ and conducted by the Centre for Rural Development (SLE; German: Seminar für ländliche Entwicklung) of Humboldt University in Berlin’s post-graduate study programme ‘International Cooperation for Sustainable Development’. The overall research objectives of the study were to: 5 • Provide consolidated information on existing national, regional and continental migration and health policy frameworks in Africa, • Compile existing research on migration and health governance in Africa, indicating existing research gaps, • Identify well-developed practices regarding the governance of migration and health, as well as areas for improvement, • Provide an in-depth analysis of the status quo of healthcare provision for migrants from a multi-level (national, regional and continental) and multi-stakeholder perspective (migrants, government and NGO officials, healthcare providers), • Provide recommendations to the AU to guide its MS in governing the migration and health nexus, • Provide a proposal for contents of a training module on migration and health for the AU to guide its MS. The study was realised through a two-phased approach. The scoping study focused on policy review and scoping review of available literature at the international, continental, and regional levels, as well as in 15 African countries. The analytical phase gave the opportunity for in-depth analysis on DRC, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa. The online technical review meeting held on 11 March 2021 gave the opportunity to about 40 representatives from AU departments and institutions, Member States, international organisations, as well as African and international research institutes to provide in-depth feedback on the findings and preliminary recommendations from the study. The study report is currently being reviewed and the final product will be launched in April 2021. Following this, the AUC and its partners will continue working on this program through, inter alia the publication of policy briefs and academic articles and the development of a training on migration and health. In the mid-term, the conclusions of the study will pave the way for the identification of concrete measures to guide AU Member States in better governing the migration and health nexus.
