Pretoria – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Kenyan President William Ruto have called for a coordinated continental response to migration, saying the challenge can only be resolved through economic development, job creation and stronger African institutions.
The two leaders made the remarks during the opening of a State Visit hosted by Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings in Tshwane on Thursday, where migration emerged as one of the central issues on the agenda.
Both presidents said migration pressures facing South Africa and other African countries stem from uneven economic development across the continent and require collective action rather than isolated national responses. 
Ramaphosa said the issue featured prominently in his talks with Ruto.
“You and I also took time to deal with the challenges that we, as South Africa, are facing with regard to migration, and we dealt with that and we sought to understand the causes of migration and how best all countries on the continent can work together to address this challenge of migration because it is not only unique to South Africa,” he said.
The South African president was keen to push back against any characterisation of his country’s population as hostile to other Africans.
“I explained that South Africans are not xenophobic. South Africans are Africans. They want to live with other Africans peacefully, and our people are calling on us as leaders to resolve the many challenges that are brought to bear by the challenge of migration.”
He said cooperation between African countries was critical to finding lasting solutions.
“So, working together, South Africa and Kenya can help shape a peaceful, integrated, and thriving African continent that is always able to resolve its own problems under the slogan African solutions for African problems,” Ramaphosa said.
Ruto agreed, saying migration was directly tied to the unequal distribution of economic opportunity across the continent.
“You and I discussed the whole subject about migration and the need for us to provide opportunities in our country. I think part of the challenge we are facing [is] because South Africa is a much more developed country, therefore it’s easier for people to come here for services and to seek for opportunities,” the Kenyan president said.
He argued that the long-term answer lay in making services and jobs available across the continent.
“The answer to this is to make sure that services and opportunities exist everywhere in our continent to avoid some of the challenges that we are facing,” Ruto said.
The Kenyan leader, who serves as the African Union Champion for Institutional Reform, also linked the migration debate to ongoing efforts to strengthen the AU, saying a more effective continental body would help coordinate development and reduce migration pressures.
“The President and I agreed that a fit for purpose Africa Union will help create the solidarity between countries, so that we can provide opportunities for our citizens and avoid unnecessary, you know, competition over resources and over opportunities that sometimes result in the kind of challenges that we have,” he said.
Ruto added that competition for limited resources was often at the heart of migration tensions across the continent.
“I fully understand the people are competing for resources, people are competing for opportunities, and therefore it is important and imperative for us to create opportunities everywhere in our world, so that the people of this continent can move together.”
The migration discussion formed part of broader bilateral talks aimed at strengthening ties between South Africa and Kenya, two of Africa’s most influential economies.
South Africa regards Kenya as a strategic partner in East Africa and is seeking to elevate bilateral ties to the level of a Strategic Partnership. The two countries signed several agreements and memoranda of understanding covering agriculture, education, tourism, transport, defence, home affairs, trade and environmental cooperation.
Kenya is among South Africa’s largest trading partners on the continent outside the Southern African Development Community, while more than 60 South African companies operate in the East African nation.
The State Visit also covered economic cooperation, regional peace and security, continental integration and investment. The two leaders were scheduled to engage business leaders at the South Africa-Kenya Business Forum at 5pm, focused on expanding trade and investment opportunities..
