The International Organization for Migration (IOM) this week (19-20 June) supported the Government of Zimbabwe in holding a two-day consultative workshop on migration data collection, analysis and management.

The workshop, in the capital Harare, provided key national migration stakeholders from Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT), Midlands State University and civil society actors space to have a deeper understanding of the existing data-related dynamics, gaps and, most importantly, what is needed by national actors to overcome such gaps.  

The workshop also aimed at strengthening the knowledge and skills of migration policy-makers and stakeholders to implement the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

The ZIMSTAT Director for Population Censuses and Surveys, Aluwisio Mukavhi noted that institutions such as ZIMSTAT require capacity strengthening on migration data management to support effective planning and policy making. “There is need to consider undertaking a dedicated migration survey since data collected through sources such as population censuses have their limitations, we need capacity to come up with such surveys to inform the country’s migration policies,” he said. 

IOM Zimbabwe Chief of Mission Mario Lito Malanca echoed the same sentiments in his remarks, stating that “It is becoming increasingly evident that capacity development is necessary to collect and analyze migration data to strengthen evidence-based policy making. Those policies will effectively address challenges faced by migrants regionally and internationally.”  

On the other hand, SADC Member States in the context of the 2017 Migration Dialogue for Southern Africa (MIDSA) expressed that the availability of reliable, comparable and sex-disaggregated data would contribute to their capacity to design better policies and frameworks. This would in turn contribute to a better management of population movements in the region.  In this year’s edition of MIDSA to be held at ministerial level in Namibia 25-28 June, migration data will feature prominently in the discussions to be held by heads of National Statistical Offices.  

Capitalizing on the need for better migration data expressed by SADC Member States, IOM strives to contribute to the enhancement of relevant national institutions’ capacities in the areas of data collection and management. In this light, IOM is implementing the pilot project Strengthening Migration Data Collection and Analysis in Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Malawi and Zimbabwe through the IOM Development Fund.