Eswatini, Lesotho benchmark on migration profile
PIGG’S PEAK – Eswatini has partnered with Lesotho to benchmark on migration profile.
Migration profiles are country-owned tools, prepared in consultation with a broad range of government and non-government stakeholders, which can be used to enhance policy coherence, evidence-based policymaking and the mainstreaming of migration into development planning.
According to a communiqué issued by Communications Officer Mlandvo Dlamini, the Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Home Affairs Nhlanhla Nxumalo, led a Task Force for Migration Management team to the Kingdom of Lesotho between February 20 and 23, 2023, to learn from Lesotho’s best practices in setting up a system that allowed different government stakeholders to provide regular updates in the migration profile.
Migration profiles are reports on the migration situation of a country for the purpose of increasing the evidence-base for their own policy development.
“The profile will provide a base of consolidated and reliable data and analysis on migration, which will contribute towards more evidence-based policymaking on issues related to migration management in Eswatini.
Intrinsically, the ministry and other relevant stakeholders will be able to better understand migration trends and dynamics in the country, and thus inform the policies, communications and development planning aimed at ensuring safe, orderly and well managed migration in the country,” said Dlamini through the statement.
Active
He highlighted further that the task team learned, among others, that migration management needed active participation of all migration stakeholders and it should use a holistic of government approach for the development of a data hub for migration data.
“Moreover, sustainability of the migration profile is based on consistence in membership of the task force team – the Government of Lesotho is working on gazetting the taskforce membership,” he said.
The communications officer further indicated that the team learned how the government of Lesotho had harnessed the benefits of diaspora engagement for economic development of the country, as well as the need to ensure that the electronic system is inter operable with already existing data in the country.
In general, he said the Ministry of Home Affairs intended to ensure a sustainable migration profile for the kingdom, as such the ministry would work on developing a system that ensured continuity, easy to use and in line with the government information, communications and technology (ICT) policies and guidelines.
Dlamini said the ministry would continue to advocate for mainstreaming of migration and use the ‘Whole of Government Approach’.
As part of the study tour on the development of Eswatini Migration Profile, Nxumalo’s delegation constituted of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Eswatini Head of Mission Jeremias Mendes, officers from the Immigration Department, Central Statistics Office, Prime Minister’ Office, Royal Science and Technology Park and E-Government.