By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
MTN Group President and CEO
Ralph Mupita has voiced support for a call to reframe how African nations
approach migration, following his participation in a dialogue hosted by the
Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation in Johannesburg.
The discussion, held under
the theme "The Continent and Migration" at the Johannesburg Stock
Exchange, brought together government officials, business leaders, academics
and civil society representatives to examine migration policy across the continent.
Attendees reportedly included South Africa's Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola and
Justice Minister Thembi Simelane-Kubayi, alongside representatives from MTN and
Standard Bank Group.
United Nations Resident
Coordinator in South Africa, Nelson Muffuh, who took part in the seminar, wrote
in a LinkedIn post that the conversation centred not on whether migration would
continue — since it inevitably will — but on how it can be governed in ways
that support dignity, security, economic growth and social cohesion.
Muffuh argued that most
migration on the continent happens within Africa itself, driven by longstanding
economic, cultural and social ties that predate colonial-era borders. He said
participants at the seminar largely agreed that migration should be managed
through lawful institutions, evidence-based policy and regional cooperation,
rather than through exclusion or informal enforcement.
Former South African
President Kgalema Motlanthe reportedly urged African countries to strengthen
their economies collectively and tackle the underlying drivers of migration,
framing it as inseparable from the broader development agenda. Muffuh echoed this,
saying that turning migration into more of a choice than a necessity will
require investment in jobs, education, peace, governance, climate resilience
and youth opportunity.
He summed up the vision
discussed at the seminar as one of building "a longer table rather than
higher walls" expanding participation and cooperation rather than
reinforcing barriers.
Muffuh also cited former UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who once said mobility should be treated as a
reality to be managed rather than something nations attempt to prevent, arguing
instead that it should be made to work better for everyone involved.
Mupita, responding publicly
to the post, thanked Muffuh for his remarks and for acknowledging that many
people, including business leaders like himself, are migrants using the
hashtags #IamAnAfrican and #IamAMigrant.
