Addis Ababa – This week, IOM, the UN Migration Agency, provided the first economic reintegration assistance to 29 irregular Ethiopian migrant returnees under the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration in the East and Horn of Africa. The migrants returned to their communities of origin in Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' (SNNP) Region of Ethiopia, which is among the regions prone to irregular migration.

The group was trained in technical agricultural skills such as cattle and goat fattening, grain trade and diary product, as well as business development and management. Cattle fodder was also provided to the returnees to kickstart their cattle fattening businesses. By the end of May, a total of 91 returnees will have been supported under the Joint Initiative. IOM’s team in the SNNP Region is providing similar reintegration assistance to the remaining 62 returnees.

IOM provided business and project management training and conducted one-on-one consultations with the returnees to develop their business plans. Some of the group have spent months outside of Ethiopia and others, years, and now have minimal knowledge of the current context in the country. The personalized consultations and the training has helped them identify and map business opportunities in their respective communities, as well as be up-to-date with current Government business requirements.

“I used to work in agri-business before I decided to leave Ethiopia,” said Abush Girma, a returnee, who spent nearly three years as an irregular migrant in Zambia and Tanzania, trying to reach South Africa. “I paid a smuggler 85,000 (USD 3,000) for the travel. When I returned, I had nothing. I tried to start a small business but failed because I had no start-up capital… I am very happy that I got a chance to have reintegration support… I will work hard in my country and change my life for the better,” he added.

The programme is part of the larger EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration which facilitates orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration management through the development of rights-based and development-focused policies and processes on protection and sustainable reintegration. The EU-IOM Joint Initiative, backed by the EU Trust Fund, covers and has been set up in close cooperation with a total of 26 African countries.

“What happens after migrants’ return is often more important than helping them get home,” said Sara Basha, Program Coordinator with IOM Ethiopia. “The EU-IOM Joint Initiative implements an innovative approach towards sustainable reintegration supporting solutions for migrants and their communities. It aims at enabling returnees to restart their lives in their countries of origin through an integrated reintegration approach that supports both migrants and their communities. It also has the potential to complement local development and mitigates some of the drivers of irregular migration,” Basha added.

For more information, please contact: Helina Mengistu at IOM SLO Addis Ababa, Tel: +251 11 557 1550 (Ext 109), Email: hmengistu@iom.int