Experiences and Employability of Nigerien Migrants in Algeria and Libya

Introduction

Located in the heart of the Sahel, Niger extends over 1,267,000 Km² three quarters of which are located in the Sahara Desert. The country shares borders with seven countries: Libya in the northeast, Chad in the east, Nigeria and Benin in the south, Burkina Faso and Mali in the west and Algeria in the northwest. Niger has been a principal migration hub for people crisscrossing the Sahel region of Africa for generations. It has also served as an important transit country for migrants and asylum seekers on the Central Mediterranean route through Libya to Europe. More recently, the country has begun receiving third-country nationals who are “returned,” often forcibly, from Algeria and Libya. This chapter focuses on immigrants from the region of Zinder which is located in the central-eastern Niger, between 12°48’ and 17°30’ north latitude and 7°20’ and 12°00’ east longitude. It extends over an area of 155,778 km2 or 12% of the national territory. Zinder region borders Diffa region to the East, Maradi region to the West, the Region of Agadez to the North, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the South with a border of nearly 300 km (INS-Niger, 2016). The rationale for the researchers is that Zinder is becoming a turning point because a new form of this phenomenon (migration of women and children) is being observed in recent years (UNICEF, 2017).

Figure 1.

Map of study countries

For almost a century, seasonal labor migration has been a fundamental spatial practice for understanding rural areas in the Sahel and their social and economic organization (Boyer & Mounkaila, 2010). An overview of migration in West Africa points to an intensification of the phenomenon, in particular because of the high vulnerability of the region's production systems (Fall & Cisse, 2007). Linked to the phenomenon of globalization and the resulting employment crisis, migration is experiencing a diversification of its actors (young, old, women, and men). Indeed, the fundamental cause of migration is the search for better paid work or employment, in short better living conditions (Fall, 2003). The impact of international migration can be seen in the changes induced at the level of countries of origin. Financial benefits play a significant role in the local economy. As a country of departure and transit, Niger welcomes hundreds of thousands of migrants every year. Among them, migrant workers settled in Libya and Algeria for years. For others, the stay is shorter, in particular as a result of forced repatriations organized by the political authorities of these host countries.

Much research has been conducted on the causes of migration, its consequences, political or legislative measures to be taken to deal with the scale of the phenomenon, and on community integration and perceptions on border security (IOM, 2018; CARIM, 2011; Howden & Zandonini 2018). However, there is a dearth of studies which investigate the employability and experiences of migrants in host countries. In this study, the professional experiences of Nigerien migrants in their top two destinations in North Africa, namely Algeria and Libya, are investigated. More specifically, the chapter explores migrant workers’ job search strategies and the types of jobs that are available and accessible for them in the host country. The major problems encountered by migrants in the execution of their duties are also addressed. A particular emphasis is placed on the socio-economic impact of migration on the lives of migrants in terms of investment and meeting their needs in their home countries. Migrants from the region of Zinder constitute the target population for this study.