Covid-19 Pandemic Governance and Impact on Migration Across Sub-Saharan Africa

Despite global lockdowns and restrictions on mobility, not all movements halted during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study considers the shift from global to regional institutional roles in global governance efforts while examining how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted migration flows in 34 countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We include an additional empirical analysis of four selected case studies in the region (Uganda, South Africa, the Central African Republic, and Nigeria). In a panel analysis, variations in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and other predictors were used to check migration flows and cuts at the country level. Although poverty, conflict, and climate-related disasters continue to be the leading triggers for migration in sub-Saharan Africa, we show that COVID-19 was associated with shifts in in-out-migration. The study concludes that the pandemic was an additional catalyst for migration. Additionally, separate internal and external mobility restrictions regimes introduced by states in the region due to the COVID-19 health Pandemic adversely set back the on-going integration partnership of regional economic communities in the region. Finally, rather than state-centred approaches, states, through their regional economic communities, should act as a single conduit in establishing and supporting migration and health governance policies in the region.