DYNAMIG policy and research conference
Migration decision-making in Africa–EU relations: Understanding drivers, policies and partnerships
On 23 October 2025, ECDPM is hosting the in-person DYNAMIG policy and research conference in Brussels, concluding a three-year initiative led by eight research institutes, think tanks and universities across Africa and Europe. Join leading policymakers, academics and migration experts to explore the complex drivers, policies and partnerships shaping migration decisions in Africa–EU relations.
Watch the recording
For the full recording please watch our livestream here.
Find a playlist of higher quality videos for individual sessions here.
Migration between Africa and Europe is shaped by a complex web of individual decisions, structural factors, policies, technological change and geopolitics. Amid global power dynamics, polarised political and public debates, and Africa and Europe’s efforts to recalibrate its partnerships, migration governance is at the core of Africa-Europe cooperation. Yet, divergent policy frameworks, narratives and understandings between African and European policymakers often complicate collaboration.
In response to ongoing migration pressures, the EU has intensified its engagement beyond its borders, seeking to build stronger alliances with African countries and trial new approaches to managing irregular migration. This has led to new legislative initiatives, a growing interest in external processing of asylum claims and returns as well as stronger efforts to disrupt smuggling networks, disincentivise irregular migration and influence migration decisions.
In African countries, the focus is on labour migration, expanding opportunities for regular mobility and safe pathways both within the continent and internationally. At the same time, concerns about irregular migration and becoming transit or destination countries reflect the diversity of priorities across the region.
Despite growing political attention, critical questions remain: How do people decide whether to migrate, where to go and how to do so – or whether to stay? Do policymakers adequately consider migrants’ preferences, aspirations and behaviour? And do migration-related policies meaningfully influence those decisions?
The DYNAMIG policy and research conference puts migration decision-making at the centre of the conversation. Drawing on key findings from the Horizon Europe-funded DYNAMIG project – a three-year research effort into the interaction between policy frameworks and individual choices – the conference explores these questions within the broader context of Africa-Europe relations.
Through interactive formats and thought-provoking discussions, we will delve into:
- how people decide whether and how to migrate;
- to what extent the diverse experiences of migrants are considered when policies are made;
- how policies and governance frameworks – including on development aid and labour migration – influence behaviour, to inform and improve their effectiveness.
Venue
ACE events – Avenue d'Auderghem 22, 1040 Brussels, Belgium
The conference will be held in person, with selected sessions available to watch online.
Conference programme
9:00-9.30 – Registration and coffee
9:30-9:45 – Conference opening and welcome
Anna Knoll (Head of Migration and Mobility, ECDPM) DYNAMIG team
Tobias Heidland (Head of the International Development Research Center – Kiel Institute) DYNAMIG team
9:45-10:15 – Opening keynote
Marie-Laurence Flahaux (Research fellow, French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development)
10:15-10:45 – Fireside conversation
Moderated by Virginia Mucchi (Head of Outreach and Impact, ECDPM) DYNAMIG team
Ahmed Réda Chami (Ambassador of Morocco to the EU and NATO)
Francisco Gaztelu Mezquiriz (Director for North Africa, European Commission, Directorate-General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf – DG MENA)
10:45-11:00 – Coffee break
11:00-13:00 – Parallel sessions: research launch and discussion
2x2 one-hour sessions DYNAMIG team
Necla Acik (Research fellow, Middlesex University)
Tobias Heidland (Head of the International Development Research Center – Kiel Institute)
This session presents new DYNAMIG evidence on how migration choices take shape before a journey begins. Digital diary data from Kenya, Nigeria and Morocco reveal three sequential phases – commitment, route search and resource mobilisation – while a 10,000-respondent conjoint experiment (Nigeria, Kenya) quantifies how risk, cost and legal status are valued at each phase. In this session, we will discuss these qualitative and quantitative insights, especially what they imply for stage-specific provision of information, financing and protection measures aimed at prospective migrants along key African routes. By clarifying how risk, cost and legality are weighed before departure, the findings offer guidance for both EU and African governments aiming to channel mobility into safe, regular pathways.
Martin Ruhs (Deputy director, European University Institute – Migration Policy Centre)
Carlotta Minnella (Research fellow, European University Institute – Migration Policy Centre)
We know surprisingly little about how the policymakers designing migration measures actually think about why people move. Yet these assumptions matter: they shape how migration governance and EU–Africa cooperation are designed in practice. This session presents new evidence on three questions: How do European and African policy actors perceive the reasons behind migration from Africa to Europe? Which assumptions are embedded in EU policies regulating cooperation on migration? And how do these align (or clash) with the realities of individual migration decisions? Drawing on innovative surveys with policymakers and citizens as well as a large-scale analysis of EU–Africa policy texts, we will highlight where perceptions and realities diverge and discuss what this means for the future of EU–Africa cooperation on migration.
Omololá Olárìndé (Lecturer, Elizade University)
Eleonore Kofman (Professor, Middlesex University)
Based on 179 interviews and digital diaries from Kenya, Nigeria and Morocco, this session shows how migrants ‘socially navigate’ options before and during travel. Family ties, peer WhatsApp groups and other digital channels often trump official advice in route planning and risk management. Access to regulated intermediaries – and therefore safer, regular pathways – remains highly stratified by education and financial resources. Meanwhile, shifting gender norms make women’s labour migration more acceptable, yet caregiving expectations and safety concerns still narrow their choices. We discuss how stage-specific, gender-responsive policies can meet these realities.
Michel Beine (Professor of economics, University of Luxembourg)
Tobias Heidland (Head of the International Development Research Center – Kiel Institute)
Discussant: Javier Fernandez Admetlla (EUTF manager Horn of Africa, European Commission, Directorate-General for International Partnerships – DG INTPA)
How effective are development investments in partner countries as alternatives to irregular migration? This session presents new evidence from the DYNAMIG project. A quasi-experimental study of the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa shows that projects in African regions can lower migration aspirations, linked to higher satisfaction with living standards and basic services. Complementary behavioural experiments suggest that when earnings, security and amenities improve, the willingness to migrate often falls. These findings raise key questions: How can EU–Africa initiatives turn the ambition to address the ‘root causes’ of irregular migration into concrete, opportunity-led governance? And what do they mean for the EU’s international cooperation strategy in an era of shifting priorities and shrinking aid budgets?
13:00-14:00 – Lunch
14:00-15:30 – Policy panel
Moderated by Anna Knoll (Head of Migration and Mobility, ECDPM) DYNAMIG team
Sabelo Mbokazi (Head of Labour, Employment and Migration, African Union Commission)
Victoria Rietig (Head of the Center for Migration, German Council on Foreign Relations – DGAP)
Robert Rybicki (International Affairs Officer, European Commission, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs – DG HOME)
Linda Oucho (Director, AMADPOC) DYNAMIG team
15:30-16:00 – Closing keynote
Tobias Heidland (Head of the International Development Research Center – Kiel Institute) DYNAMIG team
16:00-16:45 – Reception