Inside Africa’s First Comprehensive Atlas of Migration

All images reposted with permission from the SIHMA website

by Enock Kankonde (Communications Officer SIHMA)

When the Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa (SIHMA) launched the Atlas for African Migration on May 7, 2025, it filled a critical gap in understanding human mobility across the continent. This ground-breaking platform aims to offer detailed migration profiles for all 54 African countries, making complex information accessible to everyone from policymakers to journalists to migrants themselves. What makes it unique is not just its scope, but its commitment to combining data and literature with the lived experiences of people on the move.

Why Create the Atlas of Africa Migration?

Africa needed a reliable source of migration information. For too long, researchers, advocates, and policymakers have struggled to find comprehensive data about who moves where, why they move, what happens when they arrive and how migration is governed. SIHMA designed the Atlas of African Migration to bridge the gap between academic research and practical application. The goal was simple: make migration data accessible, visual, and useful for anyone who needs it.

The project emerged from a recognition that migration stories are often told through fragmented statistics or sensational headlines. A comprehensive atlas could counter these incomplete narratives with evidence-based profiles that respect both the data and the human experiences behind it.

What the Atlas of African Migration Contains

The Atlas of African Migration provides migration profiles through multiple formats: textual, infographics, migration narratives, and visual histories. At launch, 25 country profiles became freely available on the SIHMA website, with plans to complete all 54 African nations. Each profile draws from rigorous desktop research using government reports, academic journals, and established online databases. This multi-source approach reveals patterns and trends that single datasets might miss. The research uncovers migration drivers, tracks movement corridors, and identifies correlations between economic conditions and migration flows.

The Atlas of African Migration goes beyond numbers. It incorporates stories from migrants themselves, ensuring that real experiences inform the data interpretation through the Narratives of African Migration section. This combination makes the resource valuable for academics seeking evidence and practitioners needing context for their work.

Engaging Different Target Groups

Since the May 2025 launch, the Atlas of African Migration has generated significant interest across multiple sectors. The free access mode ensures that migration advocates, researchers, journalists, and policymakers can all draw from the same source. This shared foundation helps ground discussions in evidence rather than assumptions.

The project’s commitment to incorporating migrant voices has resonated with communities affected by migration policies. By validating lived experiences alongside statistical analysis, the Atlas of African Migration provides a more complete picture to the realities of migration.

Looking Ahead

SIHMA plans to complete profiles for all 54 African countries, creating a comprehensive migration resource. The team continues to develop new ways to present information, making complex data increasingly accessible through visual and narrative formats. Future phases will expand the Atlas of African Migration’s interactive features and deepen the integration of migrant narratives. The goal remains constant: providing reliable, accessible information that serves both understanding and action on African migration.

The Atlas for African Migration represents more than a data collection project. It’s an invitation to see migration as it unfolds, rather than through preconceptions or incomplete statistics. As the Atlas of African Migration grows, it promises to reshape how Africa’s migration stories are told and understood.

This is the address of the portal: https://sihma.org.za/atlas-of-african-migration

Here is the promotional video: https://youtu.be/WHHnN6ZtDkM?si=1q4wo3pakLVTe5YI