A workshop on internal migration management was held Tuesday at Les Roches Rouges hotel-restaurant on the Corniche in Mahajanga, in the Boeny region. The two-day event focused on presenting and validating an assessment of internal migration.

The workshop highlighted the legal framework for migration, particularly provisions concerning fundamental rights, natural resources, environmental protection, the right to a healthy environment, and worker migration. Challenges and objectives for the next five years will be defined during the process.

In Boeny region, the Regional Development Plan (PRD) manages internal migrations, and the Dinan'ny Boeny (social agreement), which ensures their control, is already in effect.

Boeny attracts numerous migrants due to its bays, climate, and major development projects. Migrants primarily work as farmers, herders, or agricultural laborers, mostly coming from southern Madagascar. Deteriorating living conditions, particularly in the South, increasingly push people to seek income sources in other regions.

This situation stems from climate threats such as prolonged droughts and cyclones, as well as lack of infrastructure and security problems.

"Creating a regional internal migration management committee, organizing experience-sharing sessions with other regions, strengthening social cohesion, and developing a regional strategy are among the main implementation axes for managing internal migration in Boeny region," said Nassif Mahavita, director within Boeny region.

The project is primarily the State's responsibility, while GIZ PROMIC ensures technical aspects. Following the workshop, six strategies for implementing internal migration management in Boeny must be adapted to local reality.

Boeny region improved management of internal migrations linked to climate change and other unregulated migrations at social, economic, and political levels in 2023. The project runs until 2027 and contributes to better internal migration management to promote governance and sustainable natural resource management, social cohesion, and efforts against inequality and poverty.

Increasing migration flows pose major challenges to host regions in western and northern Madagascar, including Boeny. Migrant presence increases pressure on natural resources and risks social conflicts.