The African Border and Mobility Society (ABMS) is a scholarly and professional association dedicated to advancing research, policy engagement, and capacity building in Border and Migration Studies across Africa. ABMS brings together scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, promote knowledge exchange, and advance evidence-based research and policy on border governance, mobility, and regional integration across the African continent.
The African Border and Mobility Society (ABMS) signifies a continental scholarly and professional platform dedicated to advancing excellence in Border and Migration Studies through research, teaching, policy engagement, and capacity development. The Society was established in recognition of the growing importance of borders and mobility in shaping Africa's political, economic, security, and socio-cultural landscape, and the urgent need to institutionalize Border and Migration Studies as a distinct academic discipline across African universities.
Africa's borders, largely inherited from arbitrary colonial demarcations, continue to influence migration, cross-border trade, regional integration, security, identity, and development. Over the past few decades, significant progress has been made in understanding these dynamics through the pioneering work of African border scholars and research networks, particularly the African Borderlands Research Network (ABORNE). Through interdisciplinary scholarship, comparative research, and policy engagement, ABORNE has significantly expanded knowledge of Africa's borderlands and highlighted the lived experiences of border communities.
The intellectual foundations of this field owe much to the pioneering scholarship of Professor Anthony I. Asiwaju, widely regarded as the father of African Borderlands Studies. His seminal work challenged conventional perceptions of borders as rigid territorial boundaries by demonstrating that African borderlands are dynamic spaces of interaction, cooperation, identity formation, conflict, and economic exchange. His scholarship continues to provide the theoretical and methodological foundation upon which contemporary border research in Africa is built.
Despite these remarkable contributions, Border and Migration Studies remain insufficiently institutionalised within African higher education. Few universities offer dedicated programmes and research centres devoted exclusively to the field, despite the increasing importance of migration, border governance, regional integration, human mobility, security, climate-induced displacement, and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the African Union's Free Movement Protocol.
It is within this context that the African Border and Mobility Society (ABMS) was established to consolidate existing scholarship while expanding the intellectual, institutional, and professional landscape of Border and Mobility Studies across the continent. The Society serves as a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration among scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and development partners, fostering research excellence, professional networking, knowledge exchange, and evidence-based policy engagement.
Beyond promoting collaborative research and publications, ABMS is committed to advocating for the recognition of Border and Migration Studies as an autonomous academic discipline in African universities. By strengthening teaching, research, professional development, and policy dialogue, the Society seeks to nurture the next generation of African scholars while ensuring that Africa's border and mobility realities shape global debates and inform innovative, context-specific solutions for regional integration, peacebuilding, migration governance, and sustainable development.
Vision
To be Africa's leading professional and scholarly society advancing excellence in Border and Migration Studies through innovative research, interdisciplinary collaboration, policy engagement, and capacity building — promoting evidence-based solutions that strengthen border governance, regional integration, human mobility, peace, security, and sustainable development across the African continent.
Mission
To promote high-quality research, teaching, professional development, and policy dialogue in Border and Migration Studies by fostering collaboration among scholars, practitioners, governments, and regional institutions, advocating for the institutionalization of the discipline in African universities, and generating knowledge that informs effective border governance, migration management, and regional integration.
Activities
- Workshops and Webinars — Capacity-building sessions on research methods, academic writing, publication, grant writing, and policy engagement
- Keynote Lectures — Delivered by renowned scholars and policymakers
- Networking and Collaboration — Opportunities to connect with peers and mentors for guidance and research partnerships
- Conferences — Thematic panels exploring key issues in African border and migration studies
Expected Outcomes
- Foster a network of emerging, early-career, and senior scholars in African border and migration studies
- Build a community of scholars and practitioners dedicated to African migration and border governance
- Generate policy-relevant research on border and migration issues
- Influence policy discourse at national, regional, and continental levels
- Contribute to the development of sustainable migration governance frameworks