As diaspora remittances now outpace both official development assistance and foreign direct investment combined, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) today published a new paper showing how stronger engagement with diaspora communities can enhance humanitarian response and support recovery efforts worldwide.

The paper highlights how diaspora communities mobilize resources rapidly, reach affected populations through trusted networks, and deliver locally informed, culturally attuned solutions, yet remain only partially integrated into formal humanitarian systems.

“Diaspora communities are some of the most agile and trusted partners in crisis response,” said Ugochi Daniels, IOM Deputy Director General for Operations. “This paper shows how we can move beyond spontaneous solidarity to real, structured partnerships that strengthen local responses before, during and after crises. By connecting diaspora communities with humanitarian efforts, IOM helps ensure support gets to people quickly, effectively and with trust.”

Drawing on case studies from Haiti, Lebanon, the Philippines, Somalia and Ukraine, the report documents concrete results: the Ukrainian diaspora raised USD 283 million in the first year of the conflict, while over 100 diaspora organizations mobilized within days of Haiti’s 2021 earthquake.

These examples reflect a broader trend: in 2024, diaspora remittances to low- and middle-income countries reached an estimated USD 700 billion, surpassing official development assistance and foreign direct investment combined.

The report shows how structured diaspora engagement has supported preparedness, enabled lifesaving response and accelerated recovery through early warning systems, safer shelter and health services, innovative financing mechanisms and community-led recovery efforts.

The paper also outlines practical priorities for donors and partners, including flexible funding mechanisms, digital coordination tools, strengthened data partnerships, and tailored capacity-building support. It contributes to IOM’s broader efforts and informs a forthcoming IOM Diaspora Strategy that positions diaspora engagement as a core pillar across the Organization’s work.

 Leaders across West and Central Africa are calling for more funding to help communities deal with climate change as floods, droughts and environmental degradation force more people to leave their homes, reshaping migration patterns and displacement across the region. 

“Climate change is already affecting where and how people live. The challenge now is moving fast enough to deliver practical solutions and funding to vulnerable communities,” said Sylvia Ekra, IOM Regional Director for West and Central Africa. “Our region has shown leadership by including migration in climate policies. Now we must ensure climate funding reaches the communities most affected, so migration is a safe and informed choice – not a last resort.” 

At a regional conference in Lagos, Nigeria, on 12–13 May, governments and partners developed a roadmap outlining practical ways to protect livelihoods and help communities adapt to climate impacts. 

Climate shocks are already altering where and how people live across West and Central Africa.  Floods, droughts and storms are damaging homes, roads and essential services across the region. By the end of 2024, about 2 million people in West and Central Africa had been displaced by disasters – around one fifth of the global total. 

Environmental damage, desertification, and rising sea levels are also increasing pressure on communities and cities. The World Bank estimates that by 2050, up to 32 million people in the region could be forced to move within their own countries because of climate change. 

The conference also highlighted growing action across the region. Most countries that recently updated their national climate plans now include migration and displacement issues. Côte d’Ivoire and Mauritania also joined the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change, bringing the number of supporting African countries to 33. 

“Climate-related human mobility is no longer a peripheral issue; it is an adaptation and resilience priority that must be negotiated, planned and financed accordingly,” said Nana Dr. Antwi‑Boasiako Amoah, Chair of the African Group of Negotiators. “The next step is to match that policy progress with credible data and accessible finance; so governments and partners can invest in solutions that reduce risk, protect livelihoods and expand safe options for people on the frontlines.” 

Participants called for stronger early warning systems, more support for local adaptation efforts and better access to climate funding for affected communities, as part of  a series of recommendations ahead of major global climate negotiations, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and COP31, which will take place in Türkiye later this year. 

The Lagos Conference was co-hosted by the Government of Nigeria with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark through the Climate Change and Migration Data (CCMD) Programme.

The government of Ghana has summoned  South Africa’s envoy over several “xenophobic incidents especially those involving its citizens.

A legal Ghanaian migrant was asked to return home and “fix his country” in one of the incidents.

South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised economy, has long been a destination for both legal and undocumented African workers.

But now saddled with an unemployment rate of over 30 per cent, it has seen repeated spurts of xenophobic and anti-migrant protests, and occasionally violence.

Videos online have circulated in recent days showing Ghanaians being harassed.

Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa spoke of an incident in KwaZulu-Natal province in which a Ghanaian, “a legal resident was confronted… (and) instructed to leave South Africa and ‘fix his country,’” the foreign ministry said in a statement late Thursday.

It also further warned of “escalating tensions, with foreign nationals, including Ghanaians, being advised to remain indoors for their safety”.

In his meeting with South Africa’s acting high commissioner Thando Dalamba, Ablakwa “underscored… Ghana’s support for the anti-apartheid struggle” and “emphasised that the unprovoked harassment and attacks on law-abiding individuals are contrary to the principles of African solidarity”.

There are around 2.4 million foreign-born people in South Africa, according to official statistics from 2022, or about four per cent of the population.