Lesotho’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations Lejone Mpotjoane has urged African countries to strengthen their collective approach to migration ahead of the 2026 International Migration Review Forum. He delivered the call during a ministerial roundtable on Africa’s migration landscape, where governments examined the pressures facing migrants across the continent.
The Minister outlined the challenges Basotho migrants continue to face and explained why migration remains central to Lesotho’s economy. He drew attention to the importance of remittances and the need for better labour mobility within the Southern African region. He told his counterparts that safer movement for workers, stronger partnerships against trafficking and expanded investments in climate resilient livelihoods were key to improving conditions for migrants.
He also raised the need for better border management tools and improved data systems, noting Lesotho’s interest in adopting the International Organization for Migration’s MIDAS technology to strengthen migration governance. He repeated his government’s proposal for an African Diaspora Development and Investment Fund and called for more active engagement with citizens living abroad.
During a ministerial dinner that followed the roundtable, discussions shifted to shaping Africa’s position for the 2026 forum. Minister Mpotjoane encouraged a common African approach to labour agreements, skills recognition, portable social protection and the use of digital migration platforms. He also urged progress on the African Union’s Free Movement Protocol.
He told the gathering that African states require stronger support from the United Nations and welcomed efforts to build rights based systems that protect migrants while advancing development goals. Lesotho’s delegation restated its commitment to creating well managed and people centred migration systems and to ensuring Africa’s priorities guide the review process in 2026.
Discussion about this post