West and Central Africa — Regional Mobility Mapping (June 2023)

The development and implementation of policies and programmes in West and Central Africa promoting safe, orderly and humane migration require a better understanding of human mobility in the region.​

Human mobility in the region take many different forms. Transhumance, seasonal migration conducted during the harvesting season, travel during religious festivities, tourism, economic migration to North Africa and Europe, the search for employment in the mining industry, forced displacements due to conflict, natural disasters or climate-related migration, rural exodus, are all examples of movements observes in West and Central Africa and show the many faceted nature of mobility in the region.​

This document is an attempt to provide a dynamic and regularly updated portrait of mobility within, from and to West and Central Africa regionon for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). ​

The maps contained in this document are not only meant to inform on ongoing mobility patterns, but also provide information to support direct programming (protection of migrants, management of transhumance flows, support to safe returns of displaced people) and policy.​