President John Dramani Mahama has called for African Union (AU) discussions on migration following recent tensions involving African migrants in South Africa, warning that such incidents could undermine efforts to deepen continental integration.

President Mahama described the developments as unfortunate, particularly at a time when African countries are seeking to increase intra-African trade and facilitate the movement of people and goods across the continent.

Speaking in an interview with TRT World, the President said migration challenges required dialogue and appropriate policy responses rather than hostility or vigilantism.

“Africa needs more integration at this point. And that’s why what happened in South Africa is unfortunate, because it comes at a time when we’re trying to trade more amongst ourselves. We’re trying to improve movement of people and goods across the continent,” he said.

Mahama proposes AU discussion on migration

President Mahama acknowledged that migration remained a complex issue that African countries needed to address through frank discussions and coordinated policies.

He proposed that migration be placed on the agenda of the African Union to allow member states to discuss the challenges and explore appropriate responses.

“We can discuss the issue of migration. And I think it’s something we can put on the agenda of the African Union to discuss,” he said.

The President, however, rejected vigilantism as a means of addressing concerns over migration, stressing that such issues should be dealt with through dialogue, effective policies and the appropriate institutions.

“But I do think that you cannot solve migration issues with vigilantism. Vigilantism is not the way to deal with issues of migration,” President Mahama said.

He said addressing migration challenges through constructive engagement would be important to protecting Africa’s broader integration agenda and strengthening cooperation among countries on the continent.