Spontaneous return to the country of origin is often perceived as a failure by the migrant and their family, symbolizing a waste of family resources and the end of a dream of a better life abroad. However, it can be a stage in circular migration or the basis for successful reintegration initiatives when supported by guidance and support.

 

Keen to turn the spontaneous return of migrants into a development opportunity, the second phase of the Regional Cooperation on Migration Policies (CRPM2) was launched this Monday, December 15, 2025, in Dakar. The CRPM2 project, supported by the French Development Agency (AFD) and implemented by Expertise France, is a regional initiative that brings together six African countries: Comoros, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Madagascar, and Senegal.

 

It aims to: "strengthen the capacities of public institutions in migration management, support the sustainable reintegration of returning migrants, mobilize diasporas to contribute to economic, social and cultural development, and finally promote dialogue between the different actors in migration governance."

 

An exchange of experiences between these six African countries on the challenges of migration policies which takes place in the midst of the celebration of the national day of the Senegalese Diaspora which will be celebrated on December 17, 2025.

 

In opening the work of the CRPM2, the Secretary of State to the Minister of African Integration, Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad, Amadou Chérif Diouf, stressed that the holding of this meeting, on the sidelines of the National Day of the Senegalese Diaspora, resulted from "a desire for coordination aimed at enabling brotherly countries to participate in this important edition".

 

He indicated that Senegal is making sustained efforts to involve Senegalese living abroad more in order to value their skills, expertise, and potential. Furthermore, several projects have been launched to support migrants wishing to return to Senegal.

 

For his part, Florian Blazy, First Counselor at the French Embassy in Senegal and Gambia, welcomes this collective mobilization of all stakeholders around migration policies and the issue of return, which migrants approach with anxiety.

 

The stakeholders from these six countries will address these issues during this meeting, which opened on Monday, December 15, and will continue until December 19.