Nigeria assumes chairmanship of Rabat Process for 2025-2026
Nigeria assumes chairmanship of Rabat Process for 2025-2026
Nigeria has assumed the Chairmanship of the Rabat Process, a key Euro-African dialogue on migration and development, for the next year.
The Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Alhaji Tijani Ahmed, announced this at a media briefing on Tuesday in Abuja.
He explained that the transition was formalised during the Senior Officials Meeting of the Rabat Process, held on January 29 and 30 in Portugal.
Ahmed also outlined Nigeria’s priority areas for its tenure, including empowering young people as key drivers of migration and development.
He emphasised facilitating pathways for regular migration by streamlining migration processes to promote safe, orderly, and regular migration.
He said other priorities include enhancing data collection and analysis to inform evidence-based migration policies, promoting human rights and dignity by ensuring the protection of migrants, and addressing the challenges posed by climate change on migration patterns.
Additionally, he highlighted the importance of combating human trafficking by strengthening efforts to prevent, identify, and combat trafficking along migration routes.
He said the meeting brought together 57 partner countries, the European Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and several international organisations.
Ahmed noted that Nigeria’s leadership in this dialogue would provide opportunities for knowledge transfer, technological advancement, and an increase in remittances and investments.
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“Established in 2006, the Rabat Process serves as a framework for cooperation on migration governance, focusing on areas such as regular migration pathways, irregular migration, migration and development, and international protection.
“Nigeria’s leadership marks a significant milestone in reinforcing its role as a key stakeholder in global migration governance.
“The National Migration Policy (2015) has been widely recognised internationally for its clear delineation of roles and responsibilities among government agencies.”
Ahmed said that as Chair, Nigeria would drive the strategic direction of the Rabat Process, ensuring that migration policies and frameworks reflected the realities and priorities of both African and European partner countries.
He said this leadership position also enhanced Nigeria’s diplomatic leverage, allowing for stronger bilateral and multilateral engagements on migration agreements, skills and knowledge exchange, and sustainable migration solutions.
