By Namugerwa Martha
Uganda has hosted the third Pan African Forum on Migration (PAFoM) which started on Monday 15th and will end on 17th May at Speke resort Munyonyo, Kampala under the theme “towards a common African position on the global compacts on migration and on refugees”.
The prime minister of Uganda Hon. Ruhakana Rugunda said that Africa has abundance of resources and people shouldn’t be dying on Mediterranean waters in hope of better opportunities in the west.
“Migration per second is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be managed,” Rugunda said.
Uganda hosts the most number of refugees than any other country in Africa and there are no indications of slowing down, with average daily arrivals of over 2,200 people.
However the deputy director general of international organization for migration (IOM) Laura Thompson said that with the 244million people on the move worldwide, migration is one of the most important global issues of the 21st century.
“On migration we are over principled, over ambitious and underperforming,” Thompson said.
She added that they have to train young people in new and relevant skills and also deal with the causes of migration like lack of development and lack of respect of the constitutions, in order to minimize the risk of them trying to go to the west in search of greener pastures.
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