Abuja – Timely data on migration are often scarce, making it difficult for decision-makers to develop effective migration policies. If migration statistics exist, data are often scattered between different stakeholders making the sharing of data challenging.

For this reason, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) handed over last week the first National Migration Database to the Federal Government of Nigeria at a ceremony that brought together over 100 government officials, donors, and partners working on migration data management in Nigeria.

The new platform aims to enhance the sharing of timely and disaggregated migration data and to improve policymaking in Africa’s most populous country. On the long term, the database portal will also help Nigerian ministries, agencies and departments who already collect migration-related data to make informed and evidence-based decisions on migration issues.

Through the portal, data related to returning migrants, foreign nationals entering, residing in and leaving Nigeria and other population movements within the country will be shared via one centralized platform.  

“Nigeria’s migration data model is referenced in other African countries,” said Abrham Tamrat, IOM Nigeria Programme Manager. “We therefore urge all relevant actors to ensure that the database is populated with harmonized migration data for better migration management in the country.”

IOM provided technical support in the design and development of the database while ensuring that the Nigerian government has the full and exclusive ownership of the data. IOM advises the Nigerian government on how to implement the necessary institutional, technical and physical safeguards to strengthen current data protection practices in line with international standards.

“Nigeria’s response to migration has shifted from a problem to be solved to a reality with challenges to be managed,” said Basheer Mohammed, Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs (NCFRMI). “The launch of the database is a watershed moment for migration management in Nigeria.”

As part of the official handover, the National Population Commission will receive nine computer systems for as many government bodies including the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria Immigration Service, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among others.

IOM activities in Nigeria harness data as a key element of well-managed migration by deploying tools such as the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM). DTM is the lead source of information on population movements in the country’s conflict-affected north-east, and it aims to track and provide up-to-date information on sudden displacement and other population movements and assess the needs of displaced individuals.

The National Population Commission of Nigeria will lead the implementation of the National Migration Database and supervise the installation and operations of the equipment. The database was developed within the policy and governance component of the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration funded by the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa.

For more information, please contact Jorge Galindo at IOM Nigeria: Tel: +234 803 645 2973, Email: jgalindo@iom.int.