Abidjan – A high-level dialogue in Côte d’Ivoire has called for a fundamental rethinking of how Africa and Europe approach migration, security and development together. The call came during the opening of the Liberal Political Dialogue Forum on 15-16 July 2026, which brought together policymakers, analysts and civil society representatives under the theme ‘Migration, Security and Development: Rethinking the Africa-Europe Partnership.’
Migration as freedom, not crisis
Sidi Touré, Deputy President of the Liberal International and Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Animal Resources and Fisheries, opened the forum by challenging the dominant narrative that frames migration primarily as a threat. Drawing on United Nations data, he pointed out that migrants make up just 3.7% of the global population, while over 96% of people live their entire lives in the country of their birth. “Migration is not a problem first—it is a matter of freedom,” he declared, urging participants to move beyond fear-based rhetoric and outdated prejudices.
He highlighted that 70% of African migration occurs within the continent itself, using the daily flows at Adjamé’s main bus terminal in Abidjan as a real-world example. “This is not a crisis—this is life,” he said, invoking the Ivorian tradition of hospitality embodied in the welcoming term Akwaba.
Preserving free movement in a shifting region
Touré expressed concern over the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from ECOWAS, warning that such political divisions must not erode the principle of free movement across West Africa. “Regardless of political disagreements, our peoples are brothers, our economies are intertwined, and the right to move freely is a shared heritage we must protect,” he stated. He expressed hope that the forum would produce actionable policy recommendations, to be compiled in a policy paper for decision-makers.
Confronting xenophobia on both sides
Alexandra Heldt, Regional Director for West Africa at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, condemned rising xenophobic discourse in both Africa and Europe. She pointed to the recurring violence against migrants in South Africa since 2008 as evidence that scapegoating migrants for economic struggles only deepens societal fractures. “No nation can build a prosperous future while blaming migrants for its challenges,” she warned.
She also highlighted a paradox in Europe, where labor shortages persist alongside growing anti-immigration sentiment. “Migration fuels exchange, innovation and entrepreneurship. It builds bridges between people far more than it erects walls,” she argued. Heldt called for a partnership rooted in shared responsibility, mobility and freedom, urging leaders to shift from fear to trust, and from exclusion to cooperation.
A vision of hospitality as strength
Closing the session, Sidi Touré reaffirmed that hospitality is not a sign of weakness but a strategic strength. “Hospitality is a force—and a policy,” he said, reasserting his commitment to positioning migration as a driver of shared development between Africa and Europe. Later panels focused on the legal, geopolitical and human dimensions of migration, exploring pathways to a more balanced and forward-looking partnership.
