The MIEUX+ team designed and rolled out a tailor-made training course on international migration with the Ministry of External Relations (MINREX) in Yaoundé in April 2023.
Why a training course on international migration?
Cameroon experiences mixed migration flows, with incoming migrants and refugees nationals of neighbouring countries and internally displaced persons. Outgoing migrants primarily move to Europe, particularly France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, as well as other countries in the Central and West African regions.
In light of the growing significance of migration in the political discourse, the Cameroonian government has recognised the importance of migration as a key driver of economic growth and development as well as the need to protect the displaced populations. The Ministry of External Relations (MINREX) is committed to ensuring that its civil servants have the knowledge and skills they need to make the most of this important phenomenon.
The partnership between MIEUX+ and the MINREX is expected to have a significant impact on the management of migration in Cameroon, by providing a replicable, tailor-made training course to public officials.
As stated by His Excellency Mr Philippe van Damme, Ambassador, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Cameroon: << I would like to express my congratulations to the MINREX for initiating this approach to the MIEUX+ programme, and I am pleased to note that it echoes the Government's growing commitment in the field of migration. The Government of Cameroon has chosen to position itself as a driving force in migration management, both at national and regional levels. The European Union remains ready to support it in this regard.>>
The training is designed to enable civil servants to better understand the challenges and opportunities of migration and help them develop effective strategies.
Participants learn about the various factors that drive migration, including economic, social, and political factors, as well as the legal and policy frameworks, migration governance and policy development.
Full training cycle
The MIEUX+ team put in place the entire training cycle in this Action, that consists of the analysis of the capacities’ needs, the design of the training course and materials, the roll out of the tailor-made course and the Vocational Train the Trainers course (VTT).
As part of the capacity development strategy launched in 2020 with the latest phase of MIEUX+, the Vocational Train the Trainers course is the first standardised material developed by the team and a set of experts in this area.
The MINREX will benefit from having standard products that are specific in their content but general and flexible enough to be adapted and easily incorporated in their working practices.
As part of our project with the MINREX, the MIEUX+ team launched the project by conducting a capacities and training need assessment in October 2022. Over the past three months, experts from Cameroon, France and Mali developed the tailored training curriculum and delivered the training onsite in Yaoundé in April 2023, that was welcomed with great enthusiasm by participants.
More than forty civil servants from the MINREX and its different departments, including diplomats and attachés took part in the sessions that took place over the course of one week.
Spotlight on the content
The participants deepened their knowledge on the phenomenon of international migration in its complexity and globality, in Central Africa and Cameroon through a mix of theory and practice.
They learnt about public policies related to migration at international, regional and national levels and were confronted with examples of good practices in migration policy and governance in the region. Other modules presented the link between transnational mobility and the development processes, touching upon topics such as remittances, migration of skills and diaspora engagement.
The trainers also equipped the participants with analytical and theoretical skills on trafficking in human beings. Finally, participants grasped emerging and cross-cutting issues related to international migration, such as climate mobility or health.
To be continued
To conclude the project, the MIEUX+ team will travel to Cameroon later this year to deliver the Vocational Train the Trainers Course.
After the successful roll-out of the course as part of the project with the Brazilian Public Defenders’ Office last year, this is the first time that the training course is delivered in the Western and Central Africa region.