The Centre for Migration Studies at the University of Ghana, in partnership with the African Union Commission and the Metropolis International Migration Network, has announced the Metropolis International Migration Network Conference 2026. The conference, themed "Rethinking African Mobility," will take place in Accra from November 18 to November 20, 2026. This landmark event marks the first convening of the Metropolis International Migration Network on the African continent and coincides with the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Centre for Migration Studies.
The conference will feature plenary discussions, roundtables, and parallel sessions examining various migration-related issues in Africa. These include migration governance, forced displacement, humanitarian crises, externalisation of border controls, labour mobility, skills partnerships, free movement and trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area, migration and development, migration and health, diaspora engagement, and governance amid climate change, conflict, and artificial intelligence.
High-level speakers at the conference include His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, the President of the Republic of Ghana and incoming Chairperson of the African Union for 2027, who will deliver the keynote address. Other notable speakers are His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the King of Morocco and African Union Champion on Migration; His Excellency Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, Minister for the Interior, Republic of Ghana; and Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana.
The presence of these high-level speakers underscores the political commitment to placing African mobility at the centre of global migration governance. The conference aims to bring African evidence and priorities to shape policy on free movement, labour mobility, displacement, and the protection of migrants across the continent and beyond. According to Professor Mary Boatemaa Setrana, Director of CMS, this conference provides a profound opportunity to co-host the 2026 International Metropolis Conference, marking a significant milestone in the Centre's 20th anniversary celebrations.
Professor Setrana noted that since its establishment in 2006, the Centre for Migration Studies has grown into a global and regional hub that brings African migration into global discourse. The conference will provide a platform to centre African research, policy authority, and solutions in global migration governance. Over 300 migration researchers, government officials, policymakers, practitioners, and community leaders from the Global South and North are expected to attend the conference.
The International Metropolis Conference, held annually since 1996, brings together migration researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and civil society leaders from over 60 countries. The 2026 Accra conference represents a strategic shift towards evidence-based migration governance centered on Global South institutions and priorities. This partnership between CMS, the AUC, and Metropolis International signifies African institutional leadership, scholarship, continental policy authority, and international research networks.
The conference is structured as an equal partnership between the Centre for Migration Studies, the African Union Commission, and Metropolis International. The Centre for Migration Studies, established in 2006, is the leading research institution on migration, displacement, and mobility in West Africa. The African Union, representing 55 Member States, advances continental integration and development, while the Metropolis International Migration Network is a global professional association advancing evidence-based policymaking and best practices in migration, diversity, and inclusion.
Key points
- The conference aims to centre African research, policy authority, and solutions in global migration governance.
- High-level speakers at the conference include the President of Ghana, the King of Morocco, and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
- The conference marks the first convening of the Metropolis International Migration Network on the African continent and the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Centre for Migration Studies.
